Chinese herbal medicine adjunct therapy in patients with acute relapse of multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Liang Song, Qi-hui Zhou, Hui-lin Wang, Feng-jiao Liao, Liang Hua, Hong-feng Zhang, Li-bo Huang, Yan Lin, Guo-qing Zheng · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · 2017 April

DOI 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.02.004

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as an adjunct therapy of patients with acute relapse of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Conclusions

In analysis of annual relapse rate and annual relapse interval, there was a significant difference between CHMs and western conventional treatment (P < 0.01).

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Insights

There is a significant effect of Chinese herbal medicine for improving Expanded Disability Status Score, annual relapse frequency and the total clinical efficacy rate for multiple sclerosis compared with western conventional treatment.

A total of 1,100 participants were included in the 20 studies from 2004 to 2015. The number of risk of bias which met the criteria varied from 5/12 to 7/12. The top 5 most frequently used herbs are ordinally Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, and Bombyx Batryticatus. In analysis of annual relapse rate and annual relapse interval, there was a significant difference between CHMs and western conventional treatment. Adverse effects were monitored in 6 studies, and were well tolerated in all MS patients. The available evidence from present study supported but limited to recommend the routine use of CHM adjuvant therapy for MS because of the poor methodological quality and clinical heterogeneity. However, we identified an area that is worthy of further study.