Abstract
Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a viral disease has now become a public health emergency of international concern and has not yet received an approved treatment protocol. The potential of a phytotherapy approach in the management of this disease and also numerous claims regarding its effect on the recovery of COVID-19 patients has received remarkable attention especially in developing countries.
Objectives: The present study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the combination of bindii, Melilotus officinalis, sweet violet, chicory seeds and mallow flower used as an herbal tea for improving respiratory symptoms in patients with COVID-19.
Patients and Methods: The present randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 80 patients with COVID-19 that were divided into one control group and one case group. Patients in the control group received only the routine treatment while the case group, in addition to receiving the routine treatment, also received the herbal medicine combination prepared in this study. Then, patients’ cough severity and also respiratory symptoms such as the shortness of breath, the percentage of the saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) and the number of breaths were evaluated and recorded daily and then compared between the two groups.
Results: The results of this study revealed that 75% of patients in the case group had no cough at all on the fifth day of the intervention while the cough of only 35% of patients in the control group was completely eliminated (P<0.001). In addition, the patients’ cough severity, SpO2 and shortness of breath followed up from the intervention onset up to the fifth day after the intervention had a significant improvement in the case group as compared to the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the mentioned herbal tea used in this study had a significant effect on improving respiratory symptoms and cough severity in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it can be stated that the use of herbal compounds, especially the herbal tea introduced in this study, as a complementary treatment can play a significant role in improving the patients’ condition.
Trial Registration: The trial protocol was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trial (# IRCT20200806048318N1; https://en.irct.ir/trial/50227, ethical code; IR.MUI.MED.REC.1399.359).