Family Medicine & Primary Care Review

Full text

3/2026 vol. 28
Original paper

The course of upper respiratory tract infections (common colds) in patients prescribed linden, elderberry, willow, and mullein syrup

Jerzy Chudek 1, 2
,
Tomasz Wróbel 3
,
Magdalena Uznańska-Budny 4
,
Barbara Korczyńska 4
,
Aleksandra Stawińska-Bednarek 5
,
Krzysztof Bilmin 3
,
Magdalena Olszanecka-Glinianowicz 1, 6
,
Agnieszka Almgren-Rachtan 1
,
Zbigniew Doniec 7, 8

  1. Department of Pharmacovigilance, Europharma Research & Science Centre Sp. z o.o., Katowice, Poland

  2. Department of Internal Diseases and Oncological Chemotherapy, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice,
    Katowice, Poland

  3. Clinical Trials and Scientific Studies Department, PPF HASCO-LEK S.A., Wroclaw, Poland

  4. Ultra-Med-Strefa, Tychy, Poland

  5. Family Physician’s Medical Practice, Tarnowskie Góry, Poland

  6. Public Health Department, Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland

  7. Department of Respiratory System Pathophysiology, Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases – Rabka-Zdroj Branch, Rabka-Zdroj, Poland

  8. Medical Institute, Academy of Applied Sciences in Nowy Targ, Nowy Targ , Poland

Family Medicine & Primary Care Review 2026; 28(3): 243–249

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2026.164653
Data publikacji online: 2026/09/29
Article file
03 FM&PCR 3 26 - O - Chudek - 1972 - The course.pdf
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  2. Monto AS, Ullman BM. Acute respiratory illness in an American community. The Tecumseh study. JAMA 1974; 227(2): 164–169.
  3. Monto AS. Studies of the community and family: acute respiratory illness and infection. Epidemiol Rev 1994; 16(2): 351–373.
  4. Assessment report on Tilia cordata Miller, Tilia platyphyllos Scop., Tilia x vulgaris Heyne or their mix-tures, flos. EMA/HMPC/337067/2011 May 22 2012. Available from URL: www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-tilia-cordata-miller-tilia-platyphyllos-scop-tilia-x-vulgaris-heyne-or-their-mixtures-flos-first-version_en.pdf.
  5. Paradowska K, Uram-Dudek A, Wawer I. Polifenole owoców czarnego bzu – dietetyczne wsparcie terapii przeziębienia i grypy. Herbalism 2019; 1(5): 41–49 (in Polish).
  6. Porter RS, Bode RF. A Review of the Antiviral Properties of Black Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) Products. Phytother Res 2017; 31(4): 533–554.
  7. Shara M, Stohs SJ. Efficacy and Safety of White Willow Bark (Salix alba) Extracts. Phytother Res 2015; 29(8): 1112–1116.
  8. Donn P, Barciela P, Perez-Vazquez A, et al. Bioactive Compounds of Verbascum sinuatum L.: Health Benefits and Potential as New Ingredients for Industrial Applications. Biomolecules 2023; 13(3): 427.
  9. Barrett B, Brown RL, Mundt MP, et al. Validation of a short form Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-21). Health Qual Life Outcomes 2009; 7: 76.
  10. Hagen M, Clark K, Kalita P, et al. A real-world study of quality of life following treatment with xylometazoline hydrochloride in individuals with common cold. Ther Adv Respir Dis 2024; 18: 17534666241228927.
  11. Kim KI, Hong M, Park YC, et al. Effects of herbal medicines (Eunkyosan/Yin qiao san and Sam-soeum/Shen su yin) for treating the common cold: A randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. Integr Med Res 2023; 12(4): 101005.
  12. Popovych V, Koshel I. Delayed prescription of antibiotics and the capabilities of herbal medicine when used in respiratory infections. Clin Phytosci 2024; 10: 1, doi: 10.1186/s40816-023-00364-5(2024).
  13. Nausch B, Bittner CB, Höller M, et al. Contribution of Symptomatic, Herbal Treatment Options to Antibiotic Stewardship and Microbiotic Health. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11(10): 1331, doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11101331.
  14. Małecka I, Wysocki J, Mastalerz-Migas A, et al. Szczepienia przeciwko grypie w populacji osób starszych w Polsce – podsumowanie sezonu 2024/2025. Available from URL: https://ptwakc.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Stanowisko-ws.-szczepien-przeciwko-grypie-2.pdf (in Polish).
  15. Nitsch-Osuch A, Antczak A, Barczyk A, et al. Polish expert group recommendations for RSV vaccination in adults. Fam Med Prim Care Rev 2024; 26(3): 402–407, doi: 10.5114/fmpcr.2024.142015.
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