The importance of herbal medications in the treatment of rhinosinusitis in adults and children: an example of a five-ingredient herbal medicine

This review paper presents current recommendations for the treatment of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis according to theEuropean Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2020, EPOS 2020. A particularly important and new element ofthese recommendations is to emphasize the role of phytotherapy as a rational treatment method, documented by a randomized,double-blind placebo-controlled trial (DBPC). An example of rational phytotherapy of rhinosinusitis is the BNO 1016 formulationrecommended in EPOS 2020, known under the trade name of Sinupret. Each of the pharmaceutical forms of BNO 1016 coatedtablets (powdered drug; dry extract) and oral drops (ethanol extract), is produced on the basis of the same combination of5 herbal substances such as: gentian root (Gentianae radix), primrose flower (Primulae flos), sorrel herb (Rumicis herba),elderflower (Sambuci flos) and verbena herb (Verbenae herba). BNO 1016 has the status of a drug with well-establishedtherapeutic use, with efficacy and safety confirmed in numerous clinical and preclinical studies. Used in the treatment of acuteuncomplicated rhinosinusitis BNO 1016 has antiviral, secretolytic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects confirmed inpharmacological studies. Importantly, the drug Sinupret can be used in different age groups and therapeutic regimens (monoand polytherapy), at any stage of sinusitis from cold disease to bacterial rhinosinusitis (in combination with other drugs).