SynthesisClinical nutrition ESPEN2021
Dietary supplements and herbal medicine for COVID-19: A systematic review of randomized control trials.
Synthesis in Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 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
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Hydrogen Water: Extra Healthy or a Hoax?-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Attitudes and beliefs regarding the use of herbs and supplementary medications with COVID-19: A systematic review.Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP · 2023Pooled it
- Medication, Nutrition, and Hygiene in COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment: A Comprehensive Narrative Review.Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) · 2025Review
- Clinical Evidence on the Potential Beneficial Effects of Diet and Dietary Supplements against COVID-19 Infection Risk and Symptoms' Severity.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Evaluating knowledge, habits, and beliefs regarding dietary supplements as a protective measure against COVID-19 in Malaysia and Iraq: A postsecond wave cross-sectional analysis.Health science reports · 2024Article
- Use of integrative and complementary practices in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2024Article
- Traditional Chinese medicine for the COVID-19 pandemic: An online cross-sectional survey among health care workers.European journal of integrative medicine · 2023Article
- Overview of BPH: Symptom Relief with Dietary Polyphenols, Vitamins and Phytochemicals by Nutraceutical Supplements with Implications to the Prostate Microbiome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Behavioral Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Using Western and Chinese Medicines or Herbal Products among the Public in Response to COVID-19 in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2023Article
- Behavioral and Cultural Insights, a Nationwide Study Based on Repetitive Surveys of WHO Behavioral Insights Tool in Greece Regarding COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Acceptance.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- COVID-19: Lessons on malnutrition, nutritional care and public health from the ESPEN-WHO Europe call for papers.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2022Article
- Simultaneous Determination and Pharmacokinetics Study of Three Triterpenes fromMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Nutritional support protocol for patients with COVID-19.Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 2022Article
- Micronutrient supplementation, COVID-19 vaccination and adverse effect: Correspondence.Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 2022Article
- Micronutrient supplementation before COVID-19 vaccination can protect against adverse effects.Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 2022Article
- Article
- Development and Validation of a Tool to Improve Community Pharmacists' Surveillance Role in the Safe Dispensing of Herbal Supplements.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Consumption of Phenolic-Rich Food and Dietary Supplements as a Key Tool in SARS-CoV-19 Infection.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Efficacy of Licorice as Adjunctive Therapy in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Trial.Journal of research in pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe world is currently struggling with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Dietary supplements (DSs) and herbal medicine provide a potentially convenient and accessible method for its recovery, but direct evidence is limited.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the effectiveness of DSs and herbs in patients with COVID-19.
methodsA systematic literature search was conducted in multiple electronic English and Chinese databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving DSs or herbal medicine interventions on patients with COVID-19 from November 2019 to February 2021 were included. Data was extracted, summarized and critically examined.
resultsOut of 9402 records identified in the initial search, twelve RCTs were included in this review. Risk of bias of these RCTs was deemed high. Most of the trials were of low methodologic quality. Nine studies showed herbal supplements were beneficial to the recovery of COVID-19 patients; zinc sulfate could shorten the duration of loss of smell but not total recovery from COVID-19. No severe adverse events were reported.
conclusionHerbal supplements may help patients with COVID-19, zinc sulfate is likely to shorten the duration of olfactory dysfunction. DS therapy and herbal medicine appear to be safe and effective adjuvant therapies for patients with COVID-19. These results must be interpreted with caution due to the overall low quality of the included trials. More well-designed RCTs are needed in the future.
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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.