Introduction. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a common issue. In China, Abelmoschus manihot (AM) is widely used in the treatment of IgAN. However, their combined effectiveness and safety for this purpose have not yet been explored. AM is an effective medicine for treating IgAN. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AM for IgAN. Materials and Methods. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database (VIP), and the Wanfang Database were searched from their inceptions to June 2021. Random clinical trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of AM treatment in patients with IgAN were included. The study evaluated the efficacy or effectiveness of AM for IgAN and had clear outcome data, such as total effectiveness rate or proteinuria. Results. A total of 11 RCTs with 850 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that, compared with that of the conventional therapy alone, being combined with conventional treatment was significantly more effective for the total efficacy rate (OR = 4.33; 95% CI = 2.66, 7.04; P < 0.00001 ) and proteinuria (MD = −0.41 g/24 h; 95% CI = −0.44, −0.38; P < 0.00001 ) but had no effect on serum creatinine (Scr) (MD = −2.23 μmol/L; 95% CI = −5.90, 1.45; P = 0.24 ), eGFR (MD = −0.45 mL/min·1.73 m2; 95% CI = −1.24, 2.13; P = 0.60 ), Bun (MD = −0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI = −0.59, 0.14; P = 0.23 ), systolic blood pressure (MD = −0.04 mmHg; 95% CI = −2.59, 2.51; P = 0.98 ), diastolic blood pressure (MD = −0.34 mmHg, 95% CI = −1.65, 2.33; P = 0.74 ), systolic blood pressure (MD = −0.04 mmHg, 95% CI = −2.59, 2.51; P = 0.98 ), or serum albumin (MD = 1.70 g/L, 95% CI = −1.06, 4.45; P = 0.23 ). Conclusions. AM provided additional benefits to proteinuria individuals with IgAN. However, due to the high clinical heterogeneity and small sample size of the included trials, future studies should conduct more rigorous RCTs on the clinical efficacy and safety of AM and RCTs with a larger sample size involving multicenters.

Haikun Shenxi capsule was widely used for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of the Haikun Shenxi capsule in the treatment of patients with CKD stages 3-5 (nondialysis-dependent) and provide a reference for clinical application. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP Database, and SinoMed Database were searched for randomized-controlled trials applying Haikun Shenxi capsule to treat CKD from their inception date to February 2022. Data extraction and quality assessment were assigned to two researchers, respectively. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane handbook, and Revman5.3 was used for data statistics and analysis. Heterogeneity tests were conducted, and the mean difference (MD) or relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the outcomes was presented. Eight randomized controlled trials with 522 patients diagnosed with CKD stages 3-5 (nondialysis-dependent) treated with Haikun Shenxi capsules were included. Compared with the control group, the Haikun Shenxi capsule group showed lower levels of serum creatinine (Scr; MD = -61.14, 95% CI = -68.13 to -54.16, P < 0.00001) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN; MD = -4.21, 95% CI = -5.59 to -2.84, P < 0.00001) and higher creatinine clearance (Ccr; MD = 3.94, 95% CI = 1.47 to 6.42, P = 0.002). No drug-related adverse effects of Haikun Shenxi were found in these studies. The Haikun Shenxi capsule could reduce Scr and BUN levels and increase the Ccr level, thereby improving renal functions of CKD stages 3-5 (nondialysis-dependent) patients without drug-related adverse effects based on conventional therapy.