Traditional herbal medicine in the treatment of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Traditional medicine and herbal medicine are relatively commonly utilized by patients for the treatment of acute (ARS) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The aim of this study is to review the literature to evaluate scientific evidence regarding the use of herbal preparations in the treatment of rhinosinusitis. Methodology: We reviewed all published studies until February 2024 in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane, using the following keywords: herbal medicine and nasal diseases, herbs and nasal diseases, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and nasal diseases, traditional medicine and nasal diseases, phytotherapy and nasal diseases. Results: Thirty-three clinical studies met the purpose of this review and were assessed. These studies examine the effect of eleven herbal preparations for the treatment of ARS and CRS. Conclusions: Herbal preparation BNO-1016 presents significant evidence in the literature regarding its use in the treatment of ARS, while the TCM preparation Xiangju might be a useful component in the treatment of CRS. Specific traditional herbal medicinal products, therefore, show promising results for the treatment of rhinosinusitis, and their use should be examined further. Given the relatively high demand for medicinal herbs, therapeutic use of those preparations should be explored further.