Long Dan Xie Gan Tang

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Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Long Dan Xie Gan formula used as an adjuvant therapy may hasten skin healing, relieve pain symptoms, and prevent persistent pain in acute herpes zoster patients.

2022 Dermatologic Therapy Longdan Xiegan formula as adjuvant therapy for acute herpes zoster: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Zhang L, Duan A, Li Y, Feng J

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Long Dan Xie Gan Decoction combined with valacyclovir appears to enhance the treatment of herpes zoster, improving pain intensity, and crust formation time.

2021 Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine longdanxiegan decoction combined with val-acyclovir in herpes zoster: A systematic review and mate-analysis
Wang X, , Wu L, Hou Y, Ding S, Wang S, Zhang Y, Zhang G, , , , , ,

Executive Summary

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A Systematic Review published in 2022 in the journal Dermatologic Therapy found that Long Dan Xie Gan formula used as an adjuvant therapy may hasten skin healing, relieve pain symptoms, and prevent persistent pain in acute herpes zoster patients. For the methodology, multiple databases such as PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wanfang were searched by two independent authors for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT) until July 31, 2021. The chosen studies analysed the additive effects of LDXG formula, in different forms such as decoction, capsule, or pill, for acute herpes zoster management. Nine RCTs fitting the criteria were selected, totaling 821 patients for the meta-analysis. Concerning the results, statistical analysis using a random effect model revealed that adding LDXG formula to conventional therapy noticeably shortened the time of blister resolution, crust formation, and pain resolution. It also reduced the pain intensity and incidence of lingering pain for those with acute herpes zoster in comparison to conventional treatment alone. Yet, this evidence was assessed as being of very low to moderate certainty, indicating interpretation of these results should be cautious due to statistical heterogeneity and/or an unclear risk of bias existing.

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports found that Long Dan Xie Gan Decoction combined with valacyclovir appears to enhance the treatment of herpes zoster, improving pain intensity, and crust formation time. For this systematic review, a comprehensive search was conducted in bibliographic databases - PubMed, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wan-fang Database until the 6th of April, 2021. The main focus was on Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) that looked at herpes zoster treatments involving the combined use of Longdanxiegan Decoction (LDXGD) and valacyclovir. The quality of these studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and a meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4.1 software. The analysis incorporated five studies with a total of 414 participants. The methodological quality of these studies ranged from low to moderate. The combined use of LDXGD and valacyclovir showed relative benefits in efficacy rates compared to the use of valacyclovir alone. This was reflected in the lower pain intensity noted by a visual analogue scale, decreased incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and shorter time frame to crust formation. However, the safety profile for the combined treatment of LDXGD and valacyclovir remains unclear.

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