Chinese Herbal Medicine for Rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis: An Alternative treatment to Antibiotics

Chinese herbal therapy in the management of rhinosinusitis—A systematic review and meta-analysis Rhinosinusitis (RS) is a symptomatic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity, which, according to the National Health Interview Survey, affects over 12% of the American population. In the USA, adults with RS are frequently treated with antibiotics, and RS was found to be the most common diagnosis that received out-patient antibiotic prescriptions. Due to the causal link between antibiotic consumption and microbial resistance, there have been sustained efforts to seek better treatments and management of RS without relying on antibiotics.

Research

Chinese herbal medicines are a more natural alternative to antibiotics that have been used to manage nasal disorders for thousands of years. In 2022, a systematic review was performed of 34 randomized controlled trials which observed 3,752 participants aged 6-86 years old with acute and chronic sinusitis/rhinosinusitis who were treated with Chinese herbs. 24 different Chinese formulae were studied, with the common single ingredients being: Magnolia biondii (xin yi), Angelica dahurica (bai zhi), Xanthium sibiricum (cang er zi), and Scutellaria baicalensis (huang qin/Chinese skullcap).

Findings

In chronic RS, there were significant reductions in the severity of sinus symptoms in participants who took Chinese herbal medicines (CHM’s) vs placebos. In studies that compared CHM’s to erythromycin (an antibiotic), both interventions reduced sinus symptoms to a similar degree. There is additional evidence that CHM’s taken with pharmacotherapies for acute RS can further reduce symptoms vs pharmacotherapies alone.