Consuming Chinese medicinal tea eases Sjögren’s symptom severity
Daily cup led to gains in tear production, less eye dryness
Drinking a traditional Chinese medicinal tea led to improvements in tear production, reductions in ocular dryness, and better sleep quality in patients with Sjögren’s disease, a study shows.
Sjögren’s patients also reported a significant reduction in using artificial tears, from a mean of 4.93 times a day at the beginning of the study to about once a day after eight weeks of drinking a daily cup of Chun-Yu-Ching-Hua-Yin tea.
“These findings advocate for [Chun-Yu-Ching-Hua-Yin]’s comprehensive therapeutic value in [Sjögren’s disease] … emphasizing the need for further research to understand long-term effects and mechanisms,” the researchers wrote.
The study, “Evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine tea bag TBDESJS in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome and dry eye syndrome: A phase II pilot study,” was published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
Sjögren’s is an autoimmune disorder wherein inflammation in the glands that produce tears and saliva leads to dry eyes and dry mouth, although other parts of the body can be affected.
Because Sjögren’s cause is unknown, its treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms and reducing the risk of long-term complications, such as infections and dental decay. Common treatments include artificial tears and eye gels to ease eye dryness, prescription medications to increase saliva production, and oral solutions that mimic saliva.
“Due to the limited fundamental improvement and side effects such as excessive sweating, hot flushes, frequent urination, and excessive saliva secretion from oral medications, many patients seek alternative therapies to supplement Western medicine,” the researchers wrote.
A daily cup of traditional medicinal tea
Here, scientists examined the effects of drinking a daily cup of Chun-Yu-Ching-Hua-Yin tea for eight weeks on the eye health of 59 Sjögren’s patients, 28 dry eye syndrome (DES) patients, and 10 healthy controls.
The researchers first evaluated tear gland function using the Schirmer’s test, wherein tear production is measured by inserting a thin paper strip under the lower eyelid of each eye. The test revealed significantly more tear production in Sjögren’s and DES patients after four and eight weeks of daily consumption of the tea.
At the start of the study, Sjögren’s patients had a mean score of 55.39 on the ocular surface disease index (OSDI), a measurement of symptom severity and the impact on vision-related quality of life, which ranges from 0 (no dry eye symptoms) to 100 (most severe symptoms and impairment). After four weeks of tea drinking, Sjögren’s patients saw a significant reduction in the OSDI score, which fell to a mean of 50.24. The OSDI score was further reduced to a mean of 45.34 after eight weeks of tea drinking. Significant reductions in OSDI scores were also seen in DES patients.
At both four and eight weeks, the participants also reported reductions in eye sensitivity, eye grittiness, eye pain or soreness, and blurred vision.
Sjögren’s patients also reported reductions in symptom severity related to dryness, fatigue, and pain after eight weeks of consuming the tea each day. They also reported improved quality of life.
Tea drinking also led to self-reported improvements in sleep quality. By four and eight weeks of daily tea consumption, significant reductions were seen in the time it took Sjögren’s patients to fall asleep, as well as in the use of sleep medication.
“The improvements in sleep and mental health observed in this study suggest that interventions targeting these aspects could lead to a more comprehensive management of dry eye disease,” the researchers wrote.
Use of artificial tears declines
At the start of the study, Sjögren’s patients reported using artificial tears nearly five times a day. After four weeks of daily tea consumption, usage dropped to a mean of 2.53 times a day. Even more reductions were seen after eight weeks of tea drinking, with patients using artificial tears a mean of once a day. Similar reductions were reported by DES patients.
Daily consumption of the tea was considered safe, although two Sjögren’s patients reported diarrhea and three patients (two with DES, one with Sjögren’s) had acid reflux. One DES patient developed a skin rash. There were no serious side effects.
The “efficacy of [Chun-Yu-Ching-Hua-Yin] in treating [Sjögren’s disease] and DES stems from its comprehensive molecular interactions, targeting key pathways related to inflammation, autoimmunity, and tear secretion,” wrote the researchers, who said future studies ought to test the treatment’s efficacy against a matched placebo, although this would require a new formulation of the tea’s active ingredients.
“Future research will consider adopting alternative forms of administration, such as powder or capsule formulations, which could facilitate the creation of an indistinguishable placebo. This approach would allow us to conduct a large-scale, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, enabling a more definitive assessment of the therapeutic potential of [Chun-Yu-Ching-Hua-Yin],” they wrote.
