The effectiveness and safety of GeloMyrtol® forte in the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis: A rapid review of clinical studies

• Bronchitis is an ongoing health burden affecting adults and children worldwide. • GeloMyrtol forte is an herbal product used for acute and chronic bronchitis. • We performed a rapid review to assess efficacy and safety of GeloMyrtol forte. • Oral administration is well tolerated and can shorten the course of the disease. • Administration of GeloMyrtol forte can also reduce the need for antibiotics. Bronchitis is a global health burden characterized by symptoms such as cough, sputum production, and respiratory distress. Although the efficacy of GeloMyrtol forte, an herbal product, in treating bronchitis has been evaluated in clinical trials, no reviews have yet been conducted. This rapid review included the systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and CAMbase from inception to February 2025 for clinical trials that investigated the efficacy of GeloMyrtol forte in treating acute or chronic bronchitis. Two independent reviewers screened the resulting papers for eligibility criteria and extracted the relevant data for data synthesis. The risk of bias in the included randomized controlled trials was assessed using the Revised Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool (RoB-2). The systematic search in four databases yielded 28 papers, four of which met the inclusion criteria. These four studies included 1846 patients (511 children) with acute (three studies) or chronic (one study) bronchitis. GeloMyrtol forte reduced cough exacerbations and the need for antibiotics, improved respiratory function and sputum consistency, and led to a statistically significant reduction in symptom duration compared to placebo. Side effects were rare, mainly affecting the gastrointestinal tract, and resolved spontaneously. No study examined the effects of GeloMyrtol forte in pregnancy or lactation. Oral administration of GeloMyrtol forte reduces the intensity and frequency of the signs and symptoms associated with bronchitis, provided that there is no severe infection and no underlying chronic disease.