Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence
Background. Alternative approaches for managing depression are often sought and herbal mixtures are widely used in China. The aim of this paper was to provide an overall picture of the current evidence by analysing published systematic reviews and presenting a supplementary systematic review of tri...
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Hindawi Publishing Corporation
2013
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| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582075/ |
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pubmed-35820752013-03-09 Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence Butler, Lee Pilkington, Karen Review Article Background. Alternative approaches for managing depression are often sought and herbal mixtures are widely used in China. The aim of this paper was to provide an overall picture of the current evidence by analysing published systematic reviews and presenting a supplementary systematic review of trials in Western databases. Methods. Searches were conducted using AMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and trial registers. Results were screened and selected trials were evaluated by two reviewers working independently. Systematic reviews were identified and assessed using key criteria. Results. Five systematic reviews were located addressing the Chinese literature, adjunctive use of Chinese herbs, and the formulae Chaihu-Shugan-San, Xiao Yao San, and Free and Easy Wanderer Plus. The supplementary review located 8 trials, 3 of which were not included in previous reviews. Positive results were reported: no significant differences from medication, greater effect than medication or placebo, reduced adverse event rates when combined or compared with antidepressants. However, limitations in methodology and reporting were revealed. Conclusions. Despite promising results, particularly for Xiao Yao San and its modifications, the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in depression could not be fully substantiated based on current evidence. Further well-designed, well-reported trials that reflect practice may be worth pursuing. Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2013 2013-02-10 /pmc/articles/PMC3582075/ /pubmed/23476701 http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/739716 Text en Copyright © 2013 L. Butler and K. Pilkington. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| repository_type |
Open Access Journal |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
US National Center for Biotechnology Information |
| building |
NCBI PubMed |
| collection |
Online Access |
| language |
English |
| format |
Online |
| author |
Butler, Lee Pilkington, Karen |
| spellingShingle |
Butler, Lee Pilkington, Karen Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| author_facet |
Butler, Lee Pilkington, Karen |
| author_sort |
Butler, Lee |
| title |
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| title_short |
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| title_full |
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| title_fullStr |
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Depression: The Research Evidence |
| title_sort |
chinese herbal medicine and depression: the research evidence |
| description |
Background. Alternative approaches for managing depression are often sought and herbal mixtures are widely used in China. The aim of this paper was to provide an overall picture of the current evidence by analysing published systematic reviews and presenting a supplementary systematic review of trials in Western databases. Methods. Searches were conducted using AMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and trial registers. Results were screened and selected trials were evaluated by two reviewers working independently. Systematic reviews were identified and assessed using key criteria. Results. Five systematic reviews were located addressing the Chinese literature, adjunctive use of Chinese herbs, and the formulae Chaihu-Shugan-San, Xiao Yao San, and Free and Easy Wanderer Plus. The supplementary review located 8 trials, 3 of which were not included in previous reviews. Positive results were reported: no significant differences from medication, greater effect than medication or placebo, reduced adverse event rates when combined or compared with antidepressants. However, limitations in methodology and reporting were revealed. Conclusions. Despite promising results, particularly for Xiao Yao San and its modifications, the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in depression could not be fully substantiated based on current evidence. Further well-designed, well-reported trials that reflect practice may be worth pursuing. |
| publisher |
Hindawi Publishing Corporation |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582075/ |
| _version_ |
1611957540123312128 |