Current evidence suggests that Chinese herbal medicine is an effective and safe treatment for spinal cord injury and could be treated as a complementary and alternative option with few side effects.
Systematic Review Bu Yang Huan Wu
A total of 26 studies involving 1961 participants were included in this study. No serious heterogeneity or publication bias was observed across each study. The results showed that significant improvements of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA)-grading improvement rate, clinical effective rate, ASIA motor score, ASIA sensory score (total), ASIA sensory score (light touch) ASIA sensory score (pinprick) and activities of daily living (ADL) score in CHM group compared with the control group.
Among the CHM groups, Buyang Huanwu decoction was the most frequently prescribed herbal formula, while Astragalus membranaceus was the most commonly used single herb. In addition, there were no serious and permanent adverse effects in the two groups.
The methodological quality of the most included RCTs was poor and the quality of evidence for the main outcomes was from very low to moderate according to the GRADE system. Current evidence suggests that CHM is an effective and safe treatment for SCI and could be treated as a complementary and alternative option with few side effects.
However, considering the low quality, small size, and high risk of the studies identified in this meta-analysis, higher methodological quality, rigorously designed RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to confirm the results.
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