Chinese herbal medicine, particularly alongside conventional treatment, may relieve nasal itching and improve immune regulation in children with allergic rhinitis.
Researchers systematically searched nine international and Chinese medical databases for randomized controlled trials involving children with allergic rhinitis. Eligible studies compared Chinese herbal medicine, used alone or with conventional medicine, against conventional medicine or placebo, focusing primarily on nasal itching. The reviewers assessed study bias, combined findings through meta-analysis, evaluated evidence quality, and examined both symptom relief and immune-related markers.
Across the included studies, Chinese herbal medicine was associated with reduced nasal itching and increased levels of an anti-inflammatory immune marker. Combining herbal and conventional medicines appeared more effective than conventional medicine alone for relieving itching, reducing allergy-associated immune markers, improving overall treatment response, and lowering recurrence. Oral herbal treatments and combined oral and external treatments showed benefit, whereas external treatments alone did not differ from conventional medicine. Herbal medicine alone was also associated with fewer adverse effects than conventional treatment.
