The herbal combination of Sugarcane, Black Myrobalan, and mastic as a supplementary treatment for COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundGiven the COVID-19 pandemics, researchers are beseeched for effective treatments. Herbal medicine is also queried for potential supplementary treatments for COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the effects of Sugarcane, Black Myrobalan, and Mastic herbal medications for COVID-19 patients. MethodsThis was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial study conducted over three months from May to July 2020 in patients admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in Peymaniyeh Hospital in Jahrom, Iran. The intervention group received the treatment protocol approved by the Ministry of Health of Iran during the period of hospitalization and the herbal supplement obtained from the combination of black myrobalan and mastic and sugarcane, twice a day (3g of herbal supplements). All patients were compared in terms of demographic variables, vital signs, clinical and laboratory variables. Results72 patients with COVID-19, divided into intervention (n=37) and control (n=35) groups. intervention and control groups had not any significant difference in terms of baseline characteristics. The time-to-event analysis revealed a significant difference in 4 symptoms of cough, fever, dyspnea, and myalgia (P<0.05). The Control group had a significantly lower decrease in C-reactive protein during 7 days (P<0.05). Patients in the herbal supplement group were hospitalized for 4.12 days and in the control group were hospitalized for 8.37 days (P=0.001). ICU admission and death only happened in 3 (8.6%) patients of the control group. ConclusionWhile advanced studies with more sample size are needed; the proposed combination seems to be effective in the symptom treatment and reducing the length of hospitalization.