Acupuncture and Chinese herbs for long COVID

On this page

1. Overview
2. Symptoms
3. Causes
4. Treatment for long COVID-19
5. Natural herbs
6. Exercises

1. Overview

For some people who contracted COVID-19, may experience symptoms for several weeks or months afterwards. The reasons for this in western medicine are unknown.

2. Symptoms

The symptoms of long COVID vary greatly from person to person and can include:

1. Extreme fatigue
2. Shortness of breath
3. Chest pain or tightness
4. Problems with memory and concentration known as brain fog
5. Difficulty sleeping
6. Heart palpitations
7. Dizziness
8. Pins and needles
9. Joint pain
10. Depression and anxiety
11. Tinnitus
12. Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
13. A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
14. Rashes

3. Causes

The causes of long COVID are not known in western medicine. There are theories that hyper-inflammation caused by COVID-19 may be mediated by mast cell activation (MCA) which may cause long-COVID (LC) symptoms.

In Chinese medicine, long COVID can be caused by exhausted of the body from fighting off the initial infection together or the COVID-19 pathogen still being present in the body.

4. Treatment

Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help relieve the symptoms of long-COVID.

Acupuncture for long COVID

Acupuncture can help to regulate the immune system, including the cytokines. When infected with COVID-19, the immune system becomes overloaded and casues a cytokine-storm.

Research has shown thay acupuncture can improve the lungs of people suffering from long COVID.

Chinese herbal medicine for long-COVID

There are numerous research articles that now demonstrate how Chinese herbal medicine can help elevate symptoms of long COVID. One research paper states how Chinese herbs can recovery from COVID-19 by shortening viral shedding. Other research articles have shown how Chinese herbal formulas such as Qing Jin Yi Qi Wan can relieve symptoms of long COVID.

Other research has shown how Chinese herbal formulas such as Cang Er Zi San can regulate mast cells in humans.

5. Natural herbs for long COVID-19

Research has shown how Chinese herbs can reduce long COVID fatigue. There are many natural herbs (medicinal plants) that you can easily source and take each day to improve your immunity and prevent infection. They include:

1. Ginseng (Ren Shen)
2. Astragalus (Huang Qi)
3. Chinese red dates (Jujube)
4. Brown sugar
5. Ginger (Sheng Jiang)

6. Exercises

New research has shown how traditional Chinese exercises such as Tai Chi can improve the recover from long COVID.

References

Can Chinese Medicine Be Used for Prevention of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)? A Review of Historical Classics, Research Evidence and Current Prevention Programs. Luo H, et al. Chin J Integr Med. 2020 Feb 17. doi: 10.1007/s11655-020-3192-6.
Zhao Q, Zhang L, Zhang S, Gao X, Li Y, Chen M, Gao X, Liu M. Benefits from Shortening Viral Shedding by Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Moderate COVID-19: An Observational Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Feb 1;2022:7179050. 10.1155/2022/7179050. PMID: 35154352; PMCID: PMC8825291.
Pang W, Yang F, Zhao Y, Dai E, Feng J, Huang Y, Guo Y, Zhou S, Huang M, Zheng W, Ma J, Li H, Li Q, Hou L, Zhang S, Wang H, Liu Q, Zhang B, Zhang J. Qingjin Yiqi granules for post-COVID-19 condition: A randomized clinical trial. J Evid Based Med. 2022 Mar;15(1):30-38. 10.1111/jebm.12465. PMID: 35416437.
Castro JP, Kierkegaard M, Zeitelhofer M. A Call to Use the Multicomponent Exercise Tai Chi to Improve Recovery From COVID-19 and Long COVID. Front Public Health. 2022 Feb 28;10:827645. doi: :10.3389/fpubh.2022.827645. PMID: 35296042; PMCID: PMC8918505. Yang, Y, et al. Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Patients Infected with 2019-New Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): A Review and Perspective. nt J Biol Sci 2020; 16(10):1708-1717. doi:10.7150/ijbs.45538
Ma SX. Nitric Oxide on Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV 19: Toward Possible Role of Acupuncture Treatment. Int J Biomed Sci. 2021 Nov;17(4):40-45. PMID: 35018143; PMCID: PMC8745007.
Re, J, et al. Traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment. Pharmacological Research, Volume 155, May 2020, 104743, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104743.