Objective

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, and several virus variants have emerged. Vaccines are administered to help prevent the infection. In Republic of Korea, most people take herbal medicine. This study investigated the use of herbal medicine to counter the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. Chi-square tests were used to determine differences in the use of herbal medication according to sociodemographic characteristics. Independent two-sample and paired t-tests were performed to examine the effect and satisfaction of herbal medicine use for countering the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine vaccine-related differences.

Results

A total of 233 and 181 participants received the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines, respectively. The majority of herbal medicine users were in their thirties, had a bachelor’s degree, suffered from side effects of vaccination, and received Vaxzevria for their first COVID-19 vaccine dose and Comirnaty for their second dose. The herbal medicine group had a higher satisfaction level of post-vaccination side effects than the non-herbal medicine group (P < 0.0001). The numeric rating scale scores for vaccination side effects were lower among participants who took herbal medication to alleviate those symptoms (P < 0.0001). The most commonly used herbal formula was Shuanghetang.

Conclusion

A third of participants receiving COVID-19 vaccines used herbal medication to counter the side effects of vaccination. The use of herbal medicine was associated with age, education level, vaccine brand, and whether side effects of vaccination occurred. Herbal medication use was associated with greater satisfaction compared to vaccine recipients not using herbal medication.

Please cite this article as: Yoon HC. Herbal medicine use in Republic of Korea to alleviate side effects of COVID-19 vaccines: A cross-sectional study. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(4):361–368.

中文翻译：

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韩国使用草药减轻 COVID-19 疫苗副作用：一项横断面研究

客观的

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 已在全球范围内传播，并出现了多种病毒变种。注射疫苗有助于预防感染。在韩国，大多数人服用草药。这项研究调查了使用草药来对抗 COVID-19 疫苗的副作用。

方法

这项横断面研究是通过在线调查进行的。卡方检验用于根据社会人口特征确定草药使用的差异。进行了独立双样本和配对t检验，以检查使用草药对抗 COVID-19 疫苗副作用的效果和满意度。使用单向方差分析来确定与疫苗相关的差异。

结果

共有 233 名和 181 名参与者分别接种了第一剂和第二剂 COVID-19 疫苗。大多数草药使用者年龄在 30 多岁，拥有学士学位，患有疫苗接种的副作用，第一剂 COVID-19 疫苗接种了 Vaxzevria，第二剂则接种了 Comirnaty。草药组对疫苗接种后副作用的满意度高于非草药组（P  < 0.0001）。服用草药缓解症状的参与者中，疫苗接种副作用的数字评分量表得分较低（P  < 0.0001）。最常用的中药方剂是双合汤。

结论

接受 COVID-19 疫苗的参与者中有三分之一使用草药来对抗疫苗接种的副作用。草药的使用与年龄、教育水平、疫苗品牌以及疫苗接种是否发生副作用有关。与不使用草药的疫苗接种者相比，使用草药的满意度更高。

引用本文请注明：Yoon HC。韩国使用草药减轻 COVID-19 疫苗副作用：一项横断面研究。整合医学杂志。2023；21（4）：361-368。