Traditional Chinese Medicine for Post-Vaccination Syndrome aka Long COVID: Key Insights from the Latest Meta-Analysis

September 2, 2025

The Post-Vaccination Syndrome aka Long COVID continues to affect millions, leaving people with ongoing fatigue, chest tightness, insomnia, and shortness of breath long after the infection clears. Despite years of research, conventional medicine still has few targeted treatments for these lingering symptoms.

This has pushed both patients and scientists to explore complementary approaches, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Translational Medicine evaluated Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for long COVID and provides intriguing insights.

What the Study Looked At

Researchers analyzed ten randomized controlled trials involving adults recovering from COVID-19. The trials tested different herbal formulas, with treatments lasting from two weeks to three months. Outcomes included overall symptom relief, specific complaints like fatigue and insomnia, walking endurance, and safety.

Key Findings

Overall symptom relief: CHM showed a trend toward reducing symptom severity across the studies, but the improvement was just below the threshold for being considered statistically “proven.” Importantly, patients who stayed on treatment for longer periods experienced clearer and more consistent benefits — suggesting that herbal medicine may work cumulatively over time rather than providing immediate results.
Specific symptoms:

Chest tightness: More than half of patients reported relief when treated with CHM, compared to fewer in control groups.
Insomnia: Roughly one in three patients improved their sleep with CHM, more than in control groups.
Fatigue and shortness of breath: Many patients experienced improvements, but results were inconsistent between studies.
Cough and exercise tolerance: No consistent differences were found.

Safety: Side effects occurred at similar rates in both groups, suggesting CHM is generally safe in the short term.

Why These Results Matter

Cumulative Benefits Over Time

One of the most interesting observations is that the benefits of CHM became more noticeable with longer use. This points to a cumulative effect — herbs may gradually support the body’s recovery by modulating inflammation, improving circulation, and rebalancing systems over weeks rather than days.

Symptom-Specific Relief

The strongest improvements were seen in “internal” symptoms such as chest tightness and insomnia, rather than in physical performance measures. This pattern resonates with TCM’s holistic approach, which focuses on regulating energy (qi), calming the nervous system, and restoring balance.

Safety Reassurance

With no higher rate of side effects compared to controls, CHM appears safe for short-term use. More long-term safety studies are needed, especially given that some people may rely on herbal medicine for months.

Wider Context and Emerging Questions

Global relevance: Since all studies were conducted in China, we don’t yet know how well these results translate to other populations. International studies are needed.
Mechanisms: Many TCM herbs are known to reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, or support energy metabolism. These effects overlap with what scientists are uncovering about long COVID, including immune dysregulation, microclots, and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Complementary role: CHM may not replace standard care but could serve as a supportive therapy for symptoms where modern medicine has few solutions.

This meta-analysis suggests that Chinese herbal medicine has real potential to ease long COVID symptoms, particularly chest tightness and insomnia. Fatigue and breathing difficulties also showed promising trends, and overall safety was reassuring.

The most intriguing aspect is the cumulative benefit: the longer patients stayed on treatment, the more pronounced the improvements became. This gradual effect aligns with how TCM traditionally views healing — as a steady rebalancing process rather than an instant fix.

Still, the evidence is preliminary and limited to studies from China. Larger, international trials are needed to confirm these findings and better understand how CHM works.

For now, CHM emerges as a promising ally in the integrative management of long COVID, especially for symptoms that conventional medicine struggles to treat.

If you’re curious about trying this approach for yourself, I offer personalized Chinese herbal decoctions based on a detailed differential diagnosis I do online. Each formula is prepared for your unique needs and delivered directly to your home — wherever you are in the world.

👉 Book your consultation here : https://cutt.ly/energyangel_booking_en

Jasmine Angelique

Naturopathic Doctor in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Best Quantum Healer in the USA in 2025 and Scientific Copywriter.

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