Complementary Medicine Claims And COVID-19: A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT

Background: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has been at the center of researchers' attention from the beginning of the pandemic due to its global prevalence, and researchers have been conducting many studies and tried a variety of medicinal approaches to combat this pandemic. They aim to find a way to prevent or treat the condition. Every day brings fresh debates and developments, and social media abound with discussions and remarks associated with this global health challenge. Profiteers, on the other hand, promote false information among the public about the treatment of COVID-19 disease despite their limited scientific information and expertise. Several pharmaceutical companies commercialized their herbal-based products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional medicine is mainly rooted in Iranian, Chinese, and Indian traditional medicine, acupuncture, and aromatherapy. A vast amount of information and treatment tactics has been spreading based on the theories in this field. However, in some cases, not only do these have no effect on disease treatment, but they can also have additional negative effects on the person's health and spread viruses even further. Therefore, more scientific studies are needed on the effects of traditional and alternative medicine on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Studies performed in this regard have drawbacks, such as a lack of a control group, quality evidence, randomization, and blinding methods, as well as imprecise assessment indicators, and long-term follow-up period. A few of these claims and treatment approaches are discussed in the present study.