[Herbal treatment options for post-viral symptoms and long COVID].
Krassnig, Katharina, Bauer, Rudolf, Glasl, Sabine et al. · Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2026 · DOI
Quick Summary
This review examined herbal medicines and plant-based treatments that may help with long COVID and post-viral symptoms, including ME/CFS. The authors looked at nearly 100 scientific papers and clinical experience to identify which herbs might help with common symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, breathing problems, digestive issues, and loss of smell. They found that several traditional plant remedies appear to help manage these symptoms based on available evidence and doctors' real-world experience.
Why It Matters
ME/CFS and long COVID patients face limited conventional treatment options and significant symptom burden. This review identifies herbal approaches with published evidence that may provide accessible, complementary support for multiple symptom domains, addressing an urgent gap in therapeutic options for post-viral illnesses.
Observed Findings
Multiple herbal medicines were identified as potentially relevant for ME/CFS, including Panax ginseng, Eleutherococcus, Rhodiola, and Schisandra species.
Herbs targeting respiratory, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and olfactory symptoms in long COVID were systematically mapped to symptom complexes.
98 peer-reviewed publications and 24 monographs provided evidence basis for herbal recommendations.
Clinical experience from practitioners supported the use of these phytopharmaceuticals beyond formal research evidence.
Multiple symptom domains in post-viral illness may be addressable through herbal medicine approaches.
Inferred Conclusions
Herbal medicines represent a potentially evidence-based complement to standard care for managing post-viral symptom complexes including ME/CFS.
Phytopharmaceuticals may expand the therapeutic portfolio for viral epidemics and their sequelae when conventional options are limited.
Clinical experience combined with published literature supports feasibility of herbal approaches across multiple symptom domains in long COVID.
Remaining Questions
Which specific herbal preparations have the strongest randomized controlled trial evidence for ME/CFS symptoms, and what are optimal dosing and duration?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This narrative review does not establish efficacy through randomized controlled trials or meta-analysis; it synthesizes existing literature and clinical observations without standardized risk-of-bias assessment. The findings represent potential candidates for treatment rather than proven interventions, and individual clinical responses may vary significantly. The evidence quality for specific herbs is likely heterogeneous and not quantified.