Published in Phytomedicine (2020), a peer reviewed journal, this prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial recruited patients from 23 hospitals in China. Nearly 300 patients were randomized to an intervention or control group, with the former receiving the herbal medicinal formula Lian Jua Qing Wen (a combination of the classics Yin Qiao San and Ma Xing She Gan Tang) and the control group receiving antiviral treatment. The majority of patients were over 45 years old. Treatment vs. control groups were similar with regard to symptoms, demographics and concomitant treatments. 

Key Findings:

- The recovery rate was significantly higher in the treatment group (91.5%) than the control group (82.4%).

- Average time to symptom recovery was shorter in the treatment group (7 days) vs. the control group (10 days).

- For all 3 primary symptoms, recovery time was shorter in the treatment group vs. the control group (fever, 2 vs. 3 days, fatigue, 3 vs. 6 days, and coughing, 7 vs. 10 days).

- Chest CT improvements were significantly greater in the treatment group (83.8% vs. 64.1%).

- No serious adverse events were reported; elevated amino-transferase or aspartate aminotransferase levels were the most common lab findings.

CONCLUSION: The formula Lian Hua Qing Wen treats Covid 19 better than standard antiviral treatment.