The outbreak caused by 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV) is still spreading, posing a great threat to the safety and health of general population. However, there have not been any effective drugs for treatment, with symptomatic treatment and prevention prevailing. The treatment plans of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS) are often used for reference in clinic. The advantages of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in treating SARS and MERS are that it can intervene and block the progression of disease in early stage, significantly reduce symptoms, shorten the treatment duration of patients, reduce complications and side effects caused by hormone therapy. The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) belongs to the category of TCM epidemic diseases. Chinese patent medicines and prescriptions in medical observation and clinical treatment were recommended in the &quot;pneumonia diagnosis and treatment plan for new coronavirus infection&quot;(trial version fifth) of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Qingfei Paidu Decotion was recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM shows good clinical efficacy and great potential in the treatment of COVID-19. Previous studies of TCM have shown broad-spectrum antiviral activity, providing a variety of sources for the discovery of new antiviral drugs. In this paper, we reviewed traditional Chinese medicines and its active ingredients in the hope of bringing novel inspirations to the drug screening and clinical treatment for COVID-19.