ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2020
COVID-19: Is There Evidence for the Use of Herbal Medicines as Adjuvant Symptomatic Therapy?
Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 106 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 273 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of herbal medicines on the length of stay and negative conversion time/rate outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review on impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Microbiological research · 2023Pooled it
- Combination of Chinese herbal medicine and conventional western medicine for coronavirus disease 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Chinese herbal medicine ("3 medicines and 3 formulations") for COVID-19: rapid systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2022Pooled it
- Pelargonium sidoides extract (EPs® 7630) versus usual care for acute bronchitis in Swiss primary care (PHYTOBRONCH): a pragmatic, open-label, randomised controlled trial.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026Trial
- A Triple-blind randomized controlled trial on the effects of turmeric versus ginger on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with COVID-19.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- The efficacy and safety of DW1601 in patients with acute bronchitis: a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, phase III clinical trial.The Korean journal of internal medicine · 2022Trial
- Efficacy of add-on Ayurveda and Yoga intervention in health care workers of tertiary care hospital during COVID-19: Randomized controlled trial.Complementary therapies in clinical practice · 2022Trial
- Nigella sativa for the treatment of COVID-19: An open-label randomized controlled clinical trial.Complementary therapies in medicine · 2021Trial
- Mechanisms of Action of Herbal Preparations for the Rehabilitation of Dust-Related Diseases of the Bronchopulmonary System.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Computational Evaluation of Multitarget Capabilities of Phenylethanoid Glycosides Against SARS-CoV-2's 3CLPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Antiviral Activity of Medicinal Plant ExtractsPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Integrating DNA Barcoding Within an Orthogonal Approach for Herbal Product Authentication: A Narrative Review.Phytochemical analysis : PCA · 2025Review
- Factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants for the prevention of COVID-19 in peruvian population: a cross-sectional study.Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica · 2024Article
- Article
- Herbal-based therapeutics for diabetic patients with SARS-Cov-2 infection.Molecular biology reports · 2024Review
- Article
- Network pharmacology and in vitro experimental verification unveil glycyrrhizin from glycyrrhiza glabra alleviates acute pancreatitis via modulation of MAPK and STAT3 signaling pathways.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Enhancing prediction accuracy of foliar essential oil content, growth, and stem quality inFrontiers in plant science · 2024Article
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCurrent recommendations for the self-management of SARS-Cov-2 disease (COVID-19) include self-isolation, rest, hydration, and the use of NSAID in case of high fever only. It is expected that many patients will add other symptomatic/adjuvant treatments, such as herbal medicines.
aimsTo provide a benefits/risks assessment of selected herbal medicines traditionally indicated for "respiratory diseases" within the current frame of the COVID-19 pandemic as an adjuvant treatment.
methodThe plant selection was primarily based on species listed by the WHO and EMA, but some other herbal remedies were considered due to their widespread use in respiratory conditions. Preclinical and clinical data on their efficacy and safety were collected from authoritative sources. The target population were adults with early and mild flu symptoms without underlying conditions. These were evaluated according to a modified PrOACT-URL method with paracetamol, ibuprofen, and codeine as reference drugs. The benefits/risks balance of the treatments was classified as
resultsA total of 39 herbal medicines were identified as very likely to appeal to the COVID-19 patient. According to our method, the benefits/risks assessment of the herbal medicines was found to be positive in 5 cases (
conclusionsOur work suggests that several herbal medicines have safety margins superior to those of reference drugs and enough levels of evidence to start a clinical discussion about their potential use as adjuvants in the treatment of early/mild common flu in otherwise healthy adults within the context of COVID-19. While these herbal medicines will not cure or prevent the flu, they may both improve general patient well-being and offer them an opportunity to personalize the therapeutic approaches.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.