TCM Shows Promise in Managing
Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

A 2025 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Translational Medicine examined the efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for post-COVID-19 syndrome—also known as long COVID. With lingering symptoms such as fatigue, chest tightness, insomnia, and breathlessness affecting many survivors, this analysis offers insight into the potential role of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as part of recovery care.

The study analyzed 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) encompassing 2,401 patients diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Researchers found that CHM significantly improved insomnia and chest tightness, and showed a trend toward relieving fatigue and dyspnea, although not all results reached statistical significance. Importantly, no major safety concerns were noted, and adverse event rates were comparable to control groups.

In terms of symptom severity, CHM treatment led to a greater—but statistically borderline—reduction in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores. Long-term CHM treatment appeared more effective than short-term use. Improvements in insomnia (RR = 1.23) and chest tightness (RR = 1.40) were both statistically significant and clinically meaningful. However, benefits for fatigue, shortness of breath, and exercise capacity (6-minute walk test) were less conclusive, indicating the need for further research.

The authors emphasize the need for larger, high-quality clinical trials to confirm these findings, especially given the high variability in interventions and outcomes across current studies. Still, this review supports the use of TCM as a safe complementary therapy for certain long COVID symptoms, especially when integrated with conventional care strategies.

Source: Y. Wang et al., “Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for post-COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” Journal of Translational Medicine, 2025. https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-025-06830-7