Fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog. These are just some of the symptoms that people with the condition known as Long Covid deal with on a regular basis. Now, a startup from a Tufts alumna hopes that its herbal pill will offer much-needed relief.
In the coming weeks, Chinese herbal medicine company Jadewell will launch tea pills that the company says work to alleviate Long Covid symptoms.
The long COVID formulation is part of the startup’s goal to help patients with chronic conditions “take back control of [their] body” and improve their quality of life, said Aria Ma, Jadewell’s founder.
In April, Jadewell won first place for social impact at the Tufts Venture Accelerator competition, an entrepreneurial pitch competition for Tufts students solving “big problems,” and $30,000 in grant funding.
“What [I] really want to do is make Chinese herbal medicine mainstream in the U.S.,” said Ma, who was named in Boston Business Journal’s 25 under 25 innovator list in 2025.
Chinese herbal medicine can relieve pain and long-term symptoms that traditional medications may not, said Ma, who grew up using alternative medicines. Chinese herbal medicine is often used to treat chronic conditions, including digestive conditions, fatigue, and recurring illnesses.
Next to Asia, the United States is the largest consumer market for Chinese herbal medicine products, driven by the rise of patients with chronic illness and patient dissatisfaction in traditional medicine. The U.S. market is expected to grow to $92 billion, up from $84 billion in 2025, and to $131 billion by 2031.
The herbs are regulated as dietary supplements, not as drugs, so it falls on the manufacturer to ensure quality and strength, according to the FDA.
The idea for Jadewell came to Ma when she was working as a nursing assistant at Boston Medical Center with plans to attend medical school. At BMC, she sought a way to help patients with chronic conditions, including her partner, find relief from their symptoms.
When a combination of traditional Chinese herbs used for medicine minimized her partner’s symptoms, she knew that she wanted to focus on making it more accessible to others.
In some ways, that aim is coming true. Jadewell’s personalized tea prescriptions, currently offered to 15 patients who are mostly based in Cambridge and Somerville, typically require a virtual consultation with a licensed Chinese herbal medicine practitioner. However, the pills for Long Covid will be the company’s first product available outside of Massachusetts and without a consultation as they target general, not individual, symptoms.
The pills are also relatively affordable. By buying herbs in bulk from herb suppliers, Jadewell is able to offer custom formulations for approximately $129 per month, while a typical monthly prescription of herbs costs almost $300 elsewhere. The most common herbs include Dui Zhi or cinnamon twig for digestive support, Bai Zhu, a dried root for energy, Zhi Gan Cao made from licorice root for heart health, and Fu Ling from mushrooms used to drain excess fluids.
Harvard Square Community Acupuncture has a partnership with Jadewell and refers patients to the company.
One of the people who is thankful for Jadewell’s formulation is Markus Becerra, who turned to Chinese herbal medicine after having a recurring cold, pneumonia, and a kidney stone as well as finding out he has chronic asthma all within the last year.
“I wasn’t feeling as good as I really wanted to feel, even with all the medicines” his doctors prescribed,” Becerra said.
Since starting his custom tea prescription from Jadewell, however, “I feel a lot more secure and less nervous” about facing another bout of health issues.
As the company works to expand its reach, Ma is also recalling the feedback that she got from judges. They advised Jadewell to ensure that its telehealth consultations comply with state regulations, Ma said.
While the prize money will help Jadewell grow, Ma said winning “really shows us that we’re on the right track to [make] this medicine as accessible as possible.”
This story was updated to correct the spelling of Markus Becerra’s name.
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