Background: During the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the Spring 2003, we employed the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat patients with SARS in China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Methods: According to our clinical observation with the “Pestilence” theory of TCM, the progress of SARS can be divided into five stages, i.e. the latent stage, the febrile stage, the cough and asthmatic stage, the prostration stage, and the recovery stage. TCM formulae were employed for the different stages of SARS. The time of allaying fever, the average absorption day of pulmonary infiltration, and the increase in white blood cell counts were used for evaluation of the treatment. Results: For those 4 patients with fever at the time of admitting to hospital, the time of allaying fever was 2, 3, 6 and 7 days respectively after the treatment of TCM. For 11 patients, the mean absorption time of chest infiltration was 14.56±6.71 days from the range of 5 days to 25 days. In addition, after treatment with TCM, total count of white blood cells and lymphocytes were all within normal range. Conclusion: Treatment with traditional Chinese medicine can be one of the choices for patients with SARS.