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TL;DR
The authors identify 34 possible MFH herbs that may address cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurological, and other post-COVID complications.
Frontiers in Immunology · 4 authors, 4 centres
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The authors identify 34 possible MFH herbs that may address cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurological, and other post-COVID complications.
This narrative review discusses the TCM "Medicine and Food Homology" (MFH) concept and its application to post-COVID disorders. The authors review the pathophysiology of post-COVID conditions affecting multiple organ systems and analyze TCM medicinal foods proposed to address these disorders. The review identifies 34 MFH herbs categorized by the body systems they may target, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurological, nephrological, reproductive, and integumentary systems. The authors highlight the anti-inflammatory properties of certain TCM herbs as a key therapeutic mechanism. The review notes that MFH medicinal foods are milder in nature than chronic drug use, making them potentially suitable for long-term management. Limitations include the absence of original clinical data, reliance on proposed mechanisms, and the need for in vitro and in vivo findings to be validated in human models. The authors suggest future research should elucidate mechanisms and translate preclinical findings to human studies.