Abstract: ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 14 March 2022 doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.832321 Efficacy and Safety of Complementary Therapy With Jing Si Herbal Tea in Patients With Mild-To-Moderate COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study Po-Chun Hsieh 1 , You-Chen Chao 2,3 , Kuo-Wang Tsai 4 , Chung-Hsien Li 2 , I-Shiang Tzeng 4 , Yao-Kuang Wu 3,5* and Cheng Yen Shih 6 1 Department of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 3 School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, 4 Department of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 5 Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 6 Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan 2 Edited by: Vijay Kumar Bhardwaj, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR), India Reviewed by: Daniela Calina, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania Bhanu Sharma, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR), India *Correspondence: Yao-Kuang Wu drbfci@yahoo.com.tw Specialty section: This article was submitted to Clinical Nutrition, a section of the journal Frontiers in Nutrition Received: 09 December 2021 Accepted: 24 January 2022 Published: 14 March 2022 Citation: Hsieh P-C, Chao Y-C, Tsai K-W, Li C-H, Tzeng I-S, Wu Y-K and Shih CY (2022) Efficacy and Safety of Complementary Therapy With Jing Si Herbal Tea in Patients With Mild-To-Moderate COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study. Front. Nutr. 9:832321. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.832321 Frontiers in Nutrition | www.frontiersin.org Background: Since late 2019, there has been a global COVID-19 pandemic. To preserve medical capacity and decrease adverse health effects, preventing the progression of COVID-19 to severe status is essential. Jing-Si Herbal Tea (JSHT), a novel traditional Chinese medicine formula was developed to treat COVID-19. This study examined the clinical efficacy and safety of JSHT in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled 260 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The enrolled patients were divided into the JSHT (n = 117) and control (n = 143) groups. Both groups received standard management. The JSHT group was treated with JSHT as a complementary therapy. Results: Compared with standard management alone, JSHT combined with standard management more effectively improved the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold value, C-reactive protein level, and Brixia score in the adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, especially in the male and older patients (those aged ≥60 years). The results revealed that the patients treated with JSHT combined with standard management had 51, 70, and 100% lower risks of intubation, Medisave Care Unit admission, and mortality compared with those receiving standard management only. Conclusions: JSHT combined with standard management more effectively reduced the SARS-CoV-2 viral load and systemic inflammation and alleviated lung infiltrates in the patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, especially in the male and older patients (those aged ≥60 years). JSHT combined with standard management may prevent critical status and mortality in patients with mild-to-moderate..