Lukkunaprasit, Thitiya, Satapornpong, Patompong, Kulchanawichien, Pongsiri et al. · Complementary therapies in medicine · 2024 · DOI
Researchers tested whether a supplement made from five plant extracts could help people with long COVID feel better. Over 7 days, people taking the supplement reported feeling less fatigued and had fewer severe symptoms like post-exertional malaise (worsening after activity) compared to those taking a placebo. The supplement was generally safe, though the study was small and longer research is needed to confirm these results.
Long COVID shares clinical features with ME/CFS, particularly post-exertional malaise and fatigue. This study offers preliminary evidence that plant-based interventions may reduce symptom burden in post-viral conditions, though validation in larger trials is critical for establishing clinical utility and understanding mechanisms relevant to ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This study does not establish that the supplement is effective for ME/CFS, only for a long COVID cohort over 7 days. The short duration prevents assessment of sustained benefit or relapse rates. The unvalidated symptom questionnaire raises questions about whether the reported improvements reflect true clinical benefit or measurement artifact, and the lack of CRP reduction suggests the mechanism of symptom improvement remains unclear.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Lukkunaprasit, Thitiya, Satapornpong, Patompong, Kulchanawichien, Pongsiri, Prawang, Abhisit, Limprasert, Chaiwat, Saingam, Worawan, et al. (2024). Impact of combined plant extracts on long COVID: An exploratory randomized controlled trial.. Complementary therapies in medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103107
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lukkunaprasit-2024-impact-combined,
author = {Lukkunaprasit, Thitiya and Satapornpong, Patompong and Kulchanawichien, Pongsiri and Prawang, Abhisit and Limprasert, Chaiwat and Saingam, Worawan and Permsombut, Chatpetch and Panidthananon, Wongvarit and Vutthipong, Arthimond and Lawanprasert, Yupin and Pourpongpan, Parnthep and Wongwiwatthananukit, Supakit and Songsak, Thanapat and Pradubyat, Nalinee},
title = {Impact of combined plant extracts on long COVID: An exploratory randomized controlled trial.},
journal = {Complementary therapies in medicine},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103107},
note = {PubMed: 39488240},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lukkunaprasit-2024-impact-combined},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lukkunaprasit-2024-impact-combined
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