Purpose: This retrospective observational study analyzed the clinical outcomes of 28 patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) sequelae who received herbal medicine treatment in Gwangju during the pandemic to evaluate the potential effectiveness of Korean herbal medicine therapy.Methods: Among Gwangju residents who completed acute COVID-19 treatment and had persistent symptoms ≥4 weeks post-recovery/discharge from September 15, 2020 to January 31, 2021, 100 patients receiving ≥30 days of herbal treatment were initially identified. Twenty-eight patients with good adherence and complete medical records and symptom questionnaires were selected. Symptoms included cough, fatigue, dyspnea, anorexia, dyspepsia, myalgia, headache, dizziness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and olfactory or gustatory dysfunction. Major symptoms were rated using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10) on days 0, 15, and 30, and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. The main prescriptions were Yikkibope-tang, Jaumbope-tang, and Gamikuibi-tang, with adjuncts (Hyeonggaeyeongyo-tang, Yeongyopaedok-san, etc.) based on symptom patterns.Results: The mean age was 47.7±13.4 years (9 males, 19 females). At ≥4 weeks post-infection, the prevalence of symptoms included chronic fatigue (85.6%), physical decline (92%), dyspnea (59.5%), cough (55%), sputum (47.7%), anorexia (65.8%), dyspepsia (58.8%), depression (69.4%), anxiety (60.4%), headache (55%), dizziness (61.3%), and insomnia (64%). NRS scores improved significantly: fatigue (5.46→3.68→2.04), chronic cough (2.32→0.96→0.43), dyspnea (3.43→1.89→0.96) at days 0/15/30 (all p<0.001). Other symptoms exhibited similar trends.Conclusion: In this case series, 30 days of herbal treatment significantly improved major post-COVID symptoms. Despite some limitations (the lack of a control group), the findings suggest the utility of herbal medicines for post-COVID and future management of respiratory sequelae.
Seo et al. (Mon,) studied this question.