Herbal medicines for viral myocarditis

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Integrative Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Herbal medicines are increasingly utilized for viral diseases, including viral myocarditis.
• Numerous controlled trials have investigated the efficacy of herbal treatments for viral myocarditis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the clinical and indirect outcomes of herbal medicines in patients diagnosed with viral myocarditis.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Chinese databases, AMED, LILACS) and handsearched Chinese journals.
• Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of herbal medicines (≥7 days treatment) versus placebo, no intervention, or conventional treatments, including add-on therapy.
• Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers, with adverse effects also recorded.

Main Results:

• Fourteen RCTs involving 1463 participants, all from China, were included; trials were of low methodological quality.
• Nine distinct herbal medicines were evaluated, with Astragalus membranaceus and Shengmai injection/decoction showing significant improvements in symptoms, electrocardiogram results, myocardial enzyme levels, cardiac function, and quality of life.
• No serious adverse effects were reported in the included trials.

Conclusions:

• Certain herbal medicines may offer benefits for viral myocarditis, improving symptoms and cardiac parameters.
• Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to low trial quality, small sample sizes, and limited data on individual herbs.
• Further high-quality, robust clinical trials are essential to validate the therapeutic potential of herbal medicines in managing viral myocarditis.