Evidence for the Efficacy of Ultra-High Diluted Homoeopathic Medicines in the Management of Influenza-Like Illness: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Abstract Introduction In view of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the rise in cases of influenza-like illness (ILI), there is urgent need of developing and scientifically establishing treatment strategies. Homoeopathy has been used effectively in various pandemics for a long-time showing potential of combating such outbreaks effectively. This study aims at evaluating the methodological quality of the clinical trials conducted with a motive of assessing the efficacy of homoeopathy in management of ILI. Methods The randomised clinical research manuscripts from various databases were included for the narrative review. In this study, the Jadad scale was applied as an assessment tool with the criteria of randomisation, blinding and withdrawals to evaluate the methodological quality of the selected randomised controlled trials. Results The seven randomised controlled trials fulfilling the inclusion criteria evaluated on Jadad scale lay between the ranges of 2 to 5 with a mean score of 3.71 implicating the efficacy of homoeopathy in ILI. Six studies showed significant role of homoeopathy in the faster recovery of ILI symptoms. One trial, however, reported no noticeable difference in intergroup (treatment and placebo group) improvement but distinct intragroup comparison was observed. Conclusion It was concluded from this narrative review that homoeopathy has significant role in faster recovery of ILI symptoms in comparison to placebo group, and it can be employed as a potential treatment strategy in the recurrent pandemics of ILI and the currently prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. It is suggested that more clinical trials with standard methodology should be conducted in this regard.