Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in COVID-19: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In the absence of a vaccine or specific treatment to control the current pandemic, it is necessary to continue investigating potential therapeutic agents against COVID-19. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the treatment of patients with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and may have a role in the prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. Objective: Describe the current state of the scientific literature published until May 17, 2020 about TCM in the management of patients with COVID-19. Material and methods: Scoping review that included PubMed, Embase, Scopus and 18 databases of the World Health Organization International Registry of Clinical Trials Platforms. Empirical and theoretical publications in English and Spanish were included. Results: A total of 35 documents and 93 clinical trial records (n = 128) were included;46 clinical trials evaluated decoctions, capsules, granules, injections, and oral solutions based on herbal agents. The documents were narrative reviews (n = 9), letters to the editor (n = 6), editorials (n = 3), systematic reviews (n = 4), in silico studies (n = 4), comments (n = 2), case series (n = 2), and clinical practice recommendations (n = 2), clinical practice guidelines (n = 1), in vitro studies (n = 1), and opinion article (n = 1). Conclusions: Only two case series studies using herbal remedies reported benefits for patients with mild and severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. There are 78 ongoing randomized controlled trials that will soon provide evidence on the efficacy and safety of TCM in patients with COVID-19.