Study TCM in chronic rhinosinusitis

Study TCM at chron. Rhinosinusitis - Is the origin of the drug relevant??
Chinese medicines are popular in Germany. They mostly come from China. This proves to be problematic in terms of quality control and guaranteeing therapy safety. Therefore, a small study has now examined whether domestic plants are an alternative.

TCM Remedies: Is the Origin Crucial? Image: Syda Productions - fotolia

As part of an interdisciplinary research project of the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, important Chinese medicinal plants have been cultivated and scientifically researched in Germany since 1999.

The drugs have now been tested for efficacy compared to Chinese medicines. The scientists carried out a therapy observation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. The observation period was 4 weeks. After a 4-week follow-up, the patients were again interviewed by telephone. During therapy monitoring, patients received daily 2 × 50 ml of a decoction of Chinese medicines either predominantly from Bavarian controlled trial cultivation (Bayern Group) or a purely Chinese commodity (China Group).

In total, 64 patients completed treatment monitoring (31 Bayern Group, 33 China Group). Both groups showed significant improvements in the main symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis as well as in the secondary symptoms such as tendency to infection and general health. There were no relevant differences in the improvement of the main symptoms between the groups. The Dekokte were overall well tolerated, no serious side effects occurred. The study was published in the journal "Research Complementary Medicine". (Pm)