Efficacy of traditional herbal medicine for psychological sequelae in COVID-19 survivors A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: This study is the protocol for a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of herbal medicine on COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae. Currently, there are many COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae as COVID-19 has widely spread all over the world. However, there is no critically appraised evidence of the benefit of herbal medicine for COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae. Materials and Methods: We will search 11 electronic databases from inception to December, 2022: 4 English databases, MEDLINE, PubMed, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); 3 Chinese databases, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Scientific Journal database, and the Wan Fang database; and 4 Korean databases, the Oriental Medical Advanced Searching Integrated System, the Korean Studies Information Service System, the National Digital Science Links, and the Research Information Sharing Service. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and quasi-RCTs for all formations of TRADITIONAL herbal medicine versus conventional drug, placebo, and no treatment for COVID-19 survivors. We will only include the COVID-19 survivors with psychiatric symptoms lasting at least 1month, regardless of their race, sex, and age. Discussion and conclusions: This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will provide evidence and treatment directions for clinicians. This protocol does not need ethical approval because it will be based on published research. Prospero registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020210592 Abbreviations: CENTRAL = Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CIs = confidence intervals, COVID-19 = Coronavirus disease 2019, MDs = mean differences, MERS = Middle East respiratory syndrome, PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder, RR = relative risk, SARS-CoV-2 = severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, THM = traditional herbal medicine.