Krassnig, Katharina, Bauer, Rudolf, Glasl, Sabine et al. · Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2026 · DOI
This review examined herbal medicines and plant-based treatments that may help with long COVID and post-viral symptoms, including ME/CFS. The authors looked at nearly 100 scientific papers and clinical experience to identify which herbs might help with common symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, breathing problems, digestive issues, and loss of smell. They found that several traditional plant remedies appear to help manage these symptoms based on available evidence and doctors' real-world experience.
ME/CFS and long COVID patients face limited conventional treatment options and significant symptom burden. This review identifies herbal approaches with published evidence that may provide accessible, complementary support for multiple symptom domains, addressing an urgent gap in therapeutic options for post-viral illnesses.
This narrative review does not establish efficacy through randomized controlled trials or meta-analysis; it synthesizes existing literature and clinical observations without standardized risk-of-bias assessment. The findings represent potential candidates for treatment rather than proven interventions, and individual clinical responses may vary significantly. The evidence quality for specific herbs is likely heterogeneous and not quantified.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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Primary citation
Krassnig, Katharina, Bauer, Rudolf, Glasl, Sabine, Haubenberger, Peter, Evanzin, Heinrich Justin, Schneider, Kurt, et al. (2026). [Herbal treatment options for post-viral symptoms and long COVID].. Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-025-01113-8
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-krassnig-2026-herbal-treatment,
author = {Krassnig, Katharina and Bauer, Rudolf and Glasl, Sabine and Haubenberger, Peter and Evanzin, Heinrich Justin and Schneider, Kurt and Margotti, Desiree},
title = {[Herbal treatment options for post-viral symptoms and long COVID].},
journal = {Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s10354-025-01113-8},
note = {PubMed: 41160239},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/krassnig-2026-herbal-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/krassnig-2026-herbal-treatment
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