Relevant Information on the Clinical Application of SFI Recommended Therapeutic Regimens SFI has been recommended in 19 therapeutic regimens of COVID-19 in China (see detailed information in Tables 1 and 2 ). Ingredients of SFI Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. (Hongshen) and Aconitum carmichaeli Debeaux (Fuzi). Basic information on SFI is provided in the Supplementary Table . Indications for the Treatment of COVID-19 With SFI SFI is used for deliverance due to sudden yang deficiency in the progressive stage of COVID-19 (critical case). Indicative symptoms are dyspnea, pale complexion, and severe symptoms are unconsciousness, drip sweat, and cold limbs. Progress of Pharmacological Research on SFI Modern pharmacological studies have shown that SFI has functions, including anti-shock, and protection from lung injury (see Table 3 ). Yuhang Ai et al. explored the effects and mechanism of SFI in an LPS-induced lung injury model in rats. The results indicated that SFI might protect the lung by reducing activation of NF-κB in lung tissue (Ai et al., 2006). Research by Xia Liu et al. found that SFI improved the inflammatory response of rat lung tissue in an LPS shock model by reducing expression of p65 and p50 mRNA and protein in lung tissue and serum TNF-α (Liu et al., 2019a). Li Lin et al. studied the impact of SFI on LPS acute lung injury in rats, and found that SFI significantly increased the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of lung tissue, neutrophil ratio in BALF, protein content, lung tissue MDA, and serum NO. It significantly alleviated injury in lung tissue, indicating that SFI had an important preventive and therapeutic effect on LPS-induced acute lung injury (Lin and Zhan, 2010). Xi Liu et al. used the LPS intravenous injection method to establish a septic shock model in rabbits. Administration of SFI significantly improved mean arterial pressure (MAP), reduced LPS, LDH, and AST serum levels, and significantly improved the morphology of heart, liver, and kidney. In addition, SFI increased levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and taurine in the heart, while reducing the level of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the heart. The results showed that SFI had a significant protective effect against LPS-induced septic shock (Liu et al., 2019b). Clinical Research on SFI SFI is composed of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. and Aconitum carmichaeli Debeaux, and has properties that include enhancing cardiac function, increasing blood pressure, and protecting ischemic myocardium. It is widely used to rescue from shock (infectious or cardiogenic shock) caused by various reasons, cardiac failure, and arrhythmia in clinical practice. Recent studies have shown that SFI significantly protects against lung injury (see Table 3 ). SFI has been recommended in China’s SARS Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Version 2004), the MERS Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Version 2015), and the Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme for Human Infections with H7N9 Avian Influenza (Version 2017). Qiu Z.L. et al. observed a therapeutic effect of SFI in patients with severe sepsis and an impact on the expression levels of serum IL-6 and IL-10. They found that SFI significantly lowered IL-6 levels in patients with severe sepsis and regulated the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory factors, thus, improving the therapeutic effect (Qiu et al., 2012). Ning Zhang et al. randomized 160 patients with sepsis into an SFI treatment group and a conventional treatment group. By collecting post-treatment immunological parameters, they conducted a comparative analysis of the impact on immune function. The results showed that patients in the SFI treatment group had increased CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts in peripheral blood and upregulated HLA-DR expression in monocytes. In addition, the SFI treatment group had a better response than the control group for duration of vasopressor administration and APACHE-II score. The results showed that SFI enhanced cellular immune function in patients with septic shock and might become an important adjunctive therapy for sepsis patients (Zhang et al., 2017). Another study found that SFI played an active role in the treatment of severe pneumonia in the elderly. Among 89 elderly patients with severe pneumonia, the SFI treatment group had significantly decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 7 days after administration, indicating that SFI effectively reduced inflammatory mediators, thus, playing an active therapeutic effect (Lv et al., 2017). Min Ma et al. conducted clinical research on 80 patients with traumatic acute lung injury, and found that SFI significantly improved respiratory rate, improved the oxygen index, and reduced levels of intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and NO, thus, improving prognosis of these patients. This study provided a potential new therapy for traumatic acute lung injury (Ma et al., 2019). Jie Li et al. observed an impact of SFI intervention on duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with respiratory failure. The results showed that the total response rate in the SFI group was higher than that of the control group. SFI significantly improved serum prealbumin and high-sensitivity CRP levels in patients with respiratory failure and improved their oxygen index, thus, shortening the duration of mechanical ventilation (Li, 2013). Usage and Dosage of SFI 1) Intravenous drip: 20–100 ml, diluted in 250–500 ml of 5%–10% glucose injection. 2) Intravenous injection: 5–20 ml, diluted in 20 ml of 5%–10% glucose injection. Adverse Reactions of SFI Dizziness, headache, shivering, fever, palpitations, chest distress, chest pain, difficulty breathing, nausea, retching, abdominal pain, rash, itching, rash or swelling, pain, and other discomfort in local infusion site. SFI Precautions 1) To be used with caution in pregnant women. 2) Avoid direct mixing with coenzyme A, VitK3, and aminophylline. 3) Prepared drug should be used within 4 h.