Chronic fatigue syndrome post-COVID-19: triple-blind randomised clinical trial of Astragalus root extract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Astragalus root extract on nurses suffering from post-COVID-19 chronic fatigue syndrome. Materials and methods The study was designed as a triple-blind, randomised, controlled trial in Iran in 2023. 64 chronic fatigue syndrome nurses were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an intervention group (n=32) that received Astragalus root extract (500 mg two times per day) or a control group (n=32) that received a placebo. Changes in chronic fatigue syndrome scores were measured before to, at the end of and 1 month after the intervention. Data were analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics (T-tests, χ 2 , analysis of variances, Cochran’s Q tests, McNemar and generalised estimating equations). Results In comparison to before, chronic fatigue prevalence decreased statistically significantly at the end of the intervention group (13.8%) and 1 month later (17.2%). Further, the frequency differed between before and after (p=0.0001) and 1 month later (p=0.0001). In the control group, chronic fatigue was statistically significantly different before and after the intervention (72.2%; p=0.003). Having an underlying disease (B=0.84, OR=2.33; p=0.04) and being in the control group (B=2.15, OR=12.36; p=0.01) increased the risk of chronic fatigue, whereas increasing the length of time decreased it (B=−0.67, OR=0.50; p=0.0001). Conclusion Astragalus root extract has been shown to reduce chronic fatigue in nurses. Therefore, this herbal extract can be used to reduce the incidence and treatment of chronic fatigue in nurses.