The Efficacy of Herbs as Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Recovery and Clinical Outcome Among People with COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

• Main Authors: Komariah M (Author), Amirah S (Author), Maulana S (Author), Abdurrahman MF (Author), Ibrahim K (Author), Platini H (Author), Lele JAJMN (Author), Kohar K (Author), Rahayuwati L (Author), Firdaus MKZH (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Dove Medical Press, 2023-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Maria Komariah,1,&ast; Shakira Amirah,2,&ast; Sidik Maulana,3 Muhammad Fahd Abdurrahman,2 Kusman Ibrahim,4 Hesti Platini,4 Juan Alessandro Jeremis Maruli Nura Lele,5 Kelvin Kohar,6 Laili Rahayuwati,7 Mohd Khairul Zul Hasymi Firdaus8 1Department of Fundamental Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 2Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia; 3Nursing Internship Program, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 4Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 5Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia; 6Clinical Clerkship Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo, Central Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia; 7Department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 8Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Maria Komariah, Department of Fundamental Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jl. Raya Bandung-Sumedang KM. 21, Hegarmanah, Jatinangor, Kabupaten, Sumedang, West Java, 45363, Indonesia, Tel + 6281294686288, Email [e-mail] Shakira Amirah, Email [e-mail]: The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and this condition has caused many cases in various countries around the world, resulting in more than 6 million deaths worldwide. Herbal medicines can act as immunomodulators, anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, antimicrobials, and others depending on the type and content of the herbs used. Previous studies have shown that several types of herbs, such as Echinacea purpurea, Curcumin or Turmeric, Nigella sativa, and Zingiber officinale, have proven their effectiveness as herbal plants for COVID-19.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search through five databases, namely, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Wiley, and ProQuest to assess the efficacy of phytopharmaceuticals until July 12, 2022. We used the Cochrane RoB 2.0 for the quality assessment of the study.Results: Phytopharmaceuticals significantly improved patients' recovery rate (OR = 3.54; p < 0.00001) and reduced deaths (OR = 0.24; p < 0.0001) compared to the control group. Phytopharmaceuticals also performed as a protective factor for COVID-19 clinical symptoms, such as dyspnea (OR = 0.42; p < 0.05) and myalgia (OR = 0.31; p = 0.02) compared to the control group. However, there is no statistically significant effect on cough (OR = 0.76; p = 0.61) and fever (OR = 0.60; p < 0.20). The results were not affected by patients' covariates [hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases (meta-regression p > 0.05)].Conclusion: Herbal medicine has the potential as an adjuvant therapy in the management of COVID-19.Keywords: adjuvant therapy, COVID-19, herbal medicine, systematic review

Item Description

1178-203X