Version 1
: Received: 22 January 2024 / Approved: 22 January 2024 / Online: 23 January 2024 (07:24:48 CET)
How to cite:
Kim, T.-H.; Yoon, J.; Kim, S.; Kang, B.-K.; Kang, J. W.; Kwon, S. Herbal Medicines for Long COVID: A Phase 2 Pilot Clinical Study. Preprints2024, 2024011605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1605.v1
Kim, T.-H.; Yoon, J.; Kim, S.; Kang, B.-K.; Kang, J. W.; Kwon, S. Herbal Medicines for Long COVID: A Phase 2 Pilot Clinical Study. Preprints 2024, 2024011605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1605.v1
Kim, T.-H.; Yoon, J.; Kim, S.; Kang, B.-K.; Kang, J. W.; Kwon, S. Herbal Medicines for Long COVID: A Phase 2 Pilot Clinical Study. Preprints2024, 2024011605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1605.v1
APA Style
Kim, T. H., Yoon, J., Kim, S., Kang, B. K., Kang, J. W., & Kwon, S. (2024). Herbal Medicines for Long COVID: A Phase 2 Pilot Clinical Study. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1605.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Kim, T., Jung Won Kang and Sunoh Kwon. 2024 "Herbal Medicines for Long COVID: A Phase 2 Pilot Clinical Study" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1605.v1
Abstract
Background: Infections of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) can cause long-term effects known as long COVID. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a clinical study as well as the efficacy and safety of traditional East Asian herbal medicines in alleviating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction “brain fog” in patients with long COVID. Methods: This prospective pilot study investigated the use of three types of herbal medicines, Bojungikki-tang (BIT), Kyungok-go (KOG), and Cheonwangbosim-dan (CBD), for a 12-week period as potential treatments for fatigue and cognitive dysfunction in patients with long COVID. Forty-five patients with long COVID were recruited, and one of three drugs was given based on the patient’s symptoms and pattern identification. The effect of herbal medications on fatigue and cognitive function outcomes was assessed over a 36-week period, with patient adherence closely monitored.Results:After 12 weeks of herbal drug administration, fatigue symptoms improved significantly across all groups, with treatment success rates of 80%, 53.33%, and 46.67% in the BIT, KOG, and CBD groups, respectively. However, “brain fog” symptoms showed less improvement, with treatment success rates of 40%, 46.67%, and 13.33% in the BIT, KOG, and CBD groups, respectively. All adverse events reported were mild and unrelated to the medication. The study design was found to be feasible with high medication adherence.Conclusions:This study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial with three herbal medicines to treat long COVID symptoms like fatigue and “brain fog.”
Keywords
Long COVID; Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection; herbal medicine; fatigue; brain fog; pilot clinical trial
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Other
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.