Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of ulcerative colitis: a review
Zhang X, Zhang L, Chan JCP, Wang X, Zhao C, Xu Y, Xiong W, Chung WC, Liang F, Wang X, Miao J, Bian Z · Chinese Medicine · 2022 April 04
DOI 10.1186/s13020-022-00591-x
Objective
To investigate the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) guided by Chinese medicine (CM) pattern identification for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) in current clinical practice.
Conclusions
Chinese herbal medicines (CHM), particularly CHM formulas guided by CM pattern identification, are commonly used in treating UC, with Large Intestine Dampness-Heat and Spleen Deficiency identified as predominant CM patterns. Bai-Tou-Weng-Tang and Shen-Ling-Bai-Zhu-San are frequently prescribed formulas, alongside commonly used single herbs such as Huang Lian and Bai Zhu. Safety assessments of CHM formulas remain limited, highlighting the need for further well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to validate these findings and ensure safety.
Critical Appraisal
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Insights
Chinese herbal medicine interventions, particularly those based on the Bai-Tou-Weng-Tang and Shen-Ling-Bai-Zhu-San formulas, show promise in treating Ulcerative Colitis.
This study analyzed Ulcerative Colitis clinical trials that used Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) interventions by systematically searching seven electronic databases for articles published in English and Chinese until November 25, 2020. The focus was on different CHM treatments, including both single herbs and CHM formulas. Descriptive statistics were utilized to portray the characteristics of these studies, along with collecting commonly Chinese Medicine (CM) patterns of UC and frequently used CHM herbs and formulas.
The data from a total of 2311 studies were compiled, most of which were Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that utilized CHM formulas. Findings revealed that the most commonly reported CM pattern in UC was 'Large Intestine Dampness-Heat', with 'Spleen Deficiency' being the basic CM pattern-type reported. Top CHM treatment formulas included Bai-Tou-Weng-Tang and Shen-Ling-Bai-Zhu-San. The most frequently used single medicinals were Huang Lian and Bai Zhu. Common Western medicine compounds used in tandem with CHM treatments were Sulfasalazine and Mesalazine.
