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Add-On Effect of Honeysuckle in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Xu-Qin Du1,2, Li-Peng Shi1,2, Wen-Fu Cao1,2,3

  • 1College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Frontiers in Pharmacology
|October 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Honeysuckle, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, combined with conventional treatments, shows significant benefits in improving COVID-19 patient outcomes. This combination therapy enhances lung CT scans, clinical cure rates, and symptoms while reducing severe case conversion without increasing adverse events.

Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates exploring effective treatments, including traditional medicines.
  • Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine with reported efficacy against COVID-19.
  • A systematic evaluation of honeysuckle's clinical efficacy in COVID-19 treatment was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of honeysuckle as a treatment for COVID-19.
  • To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on honeysuckle's role in COVID-19 management.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature search was conducted across seven electronic databases.
  • Included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving adult COVID-19 patients treated with honeysuckle.
  • The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool assessed study quality, and meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3.

Main Results:

  • Nine RCTs with 1,286 patients were analyzed.
  • Combination therapy with honeysuckle and conventional treatment improved lung CT findings (RR=1.24) and clinical cure rates (RR=1.21).
  • Honeysuckle combination therapy reduced the conversion rate to severe COVID-19 cases (RR=0.50) and improved clinical symptoms and inflammatory markers without increasing adverse events.

Conclusions:

  • Honeysuckle combined with conventional therapy offers significant benefits for COVID-19 patients.
  • This integrative approach improves radiological, clinical, and laboratory outcomes while mitigating disease progression.
  • Further high-quality RCTs are recommended to solidify these findings.

Keywords:
coronavirus disease 2019honeysucklemeta-analysisrandomized controlled trialssystematic review

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