Meta-analysis of Xiaoyao formula as an adjuvant therapy for treating postpartum depression

Liu J, Rong A, Wang F · Frontiers in Psychiatry · 2025 March 24

DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1558505

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of Xiaoyao formula (XYF) as an adjuvant therapy for treating postpartum depression.

Conclusions

Adjuvant treatment with XYF led to a significant improvement in the total response rate, clinical recovery rate, and decreased Hamilton Depression Scale scores in postpartum women suffering from depression.

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Insights

Xiaoyao formula, when combined with Western therapy, significantly improves response and recovery rates for postpartum depression in women.

A meta-analysis was performed of studies accessible in international (Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed) and Chinese (SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang) databases. Only randomized controlled trials that examined the efficacy of Xiaoyao formula in conjunction with Western therapy versus Western therapy alone for postpartum depression treatment were included. Thorough assessment of recovery was based on a specified reduction of greater than 25% and greater than 75% in depression scores, which classified as total response rate and clinical recovery, respectively. The analysis integrated data from ten randomized controlled trials comprising of 810 women. It was discovered that the collaboration of Xiaoyao formula and Western therapy notably boosted both the total response rate and the clinical recovery rate in comparison to Western therapy by itself. Moreover, addition of Xiaoyao formula significantly lowered the scores on the Hamilton Depression Scale.