Homeopathic Treatment of Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome – A Pilot Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome, or Long COVID, is a serious public health concern. Previous clinical studies have shown classical homeopathy to be superior to placebo, including for chronic diseases with symptoms similar to Long COVID, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Because homeopathy is a system that treats the whole person, it is likely to be of particular value to people suffering from the myriad symptoms associated with Long COVID.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Seventy-seven participants were randomized to receive an individually prescribed homeopathic verum medication or a placebo. Patients were treated via telemedicine by licensed homeopathic practitioners for 12 weeks. Primary outcome variables were the Fatigue Assessment Score (FAS) and the Physical Composite Score (PCS) and the Mental Composite Score (MCS) of the RAND-36 Item Health Survey. Baseline and follow-up ratings were evaluated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.

Results: Linear regression models showed no significant differences in outcomes of the FAS, PCS, or MCS between placebo and verum at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. There was a near-significant difference in linear trend over the whole time period in favor of better outcomes for the placebo group for both the FAS (p-value = 0.093) and the PCS (p-value = 0.060). That is, the placebo group improved more quickly. There were 19 reported homeopathic therapeutic aggravations in the verum group compared with 10 in those receiving placebo. The wide variety of prescribing styles used by the practitioners precluded sub-group analysis.

Conclusions: The current pilot study confirms the feasibility of performing future studies of homeopathic treatment in Long COVID. The findings suggest that there was a biological difference in the pattern of response to treatment between those participants receiving verum versus placebo, possibly related to the phenomena of homeopathic aggravations.

Keywords: Posology, Long COVID, homeopathic aggravations, RCT

Publication History

Article published online:
30 January 2024