Xiao Yao San can improve symptoms and reduce recurrence rates in patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction.

2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine Xiao Yao San in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Liu Q, Shi Z, Zhang T, Jiang T, Luo X, Su X, et al.

Systematic Review Constipation Functional gastrointestinal disorders Indigestion

The paper's methodology involved a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found in seven databases, up until November 22, 2021. The trials, which totaled 48 all together, were included to determine the efficacy of Xiao-Yao-San in treating disorders of gut-brain interaction (previously known as functional gastrointestinal disorders). A range of measures, including therapeutic efficacy, symptom score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score, Self-Rating Depression Scale score, and the recurrence rate, were analysed using both random-effects and fixed-effects models, as well as trial sequential analysis.

In terms of results, Xiao-Yao-San showed a marked improvement in the effective rate of managing disorders of gut-brain interaction compared to western drugs, both when used alone and in combination with western medicine. The paper also found the treatment notably reduced symptom scores, anxiety scores, and depression scores for patients with the disorder. Further, instances of recurrence were also reduced. Overall, Xiao-Yao-San was well tolerated and no serious adverse events were reported in any of the trials included in this analysis.

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