Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the recent clinical research trends regarding the effects of traditional herbal medicine (THM) on chemotherapy-induced leukopenia.Methods: Randomized controlled trials that verified effects of herbal medicine treating chemotherapy induced leukopenia were included in the study. A literature search was performed in the English, Chinese, and Korean databases for papers published from January 1, 2007, to September 1, 2017. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's Risk of Bias (RoB).Results: Forty-two of 232 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions called '升白湯 (shengbai decoction)' which means elevating the numbers of White blood cells (WBCs). And the mostly included herbs such as Astragali Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Codonopsis Pilosulae, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Ligustri Lucidi Fructus are commonly used to elevate qi, blood and yin. The count of WBC in peripheral blood, the level of leukopenia presented in WHO (World Health Organization), and clinical symptoms were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective rate was 68.6-98.18% and the effectiveness was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group in 38 articles (p<0.05). No serious adverse events were reported. Only five articles (5/42, 11.9%) were rated as having adequate methodological quality with a low level of bias. Conclusion:Some traditional herbal medicines may be effective as therapeutic treatments for chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, but the majority of reviewed studies were of poor quality. The present findings need to be confirmed by rigorously conducted high-quality trials, including pharmacokinetic studies, to confirm the absence of interactions between traditional herbal medicine agents and chemotherapy.

No abstract

In this study, we researched the effects of herbal medicine on anemia among 43 patients. Before being given prescriptions, these patients were examined for RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrits, which are important in evaluating improvements in anemia. After administering the herbal medicine over two weeks, we rechecked the RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrits on a secondary inspection. We compared the primary and secondary tests with respect to age, sex, diseases, the name of the herbal medicine, and the composition of the medicine. The results were as follows. In groups of five or more, the musculoskeletal pain disease group was more improved than the other disease groups on the secondary test. The digestive diseases group was worse than the other disease groups on the secondary test. In the composition of the prescription, herbs that enriched the blood (補血), invigorated the spleen (健脾), and nourished Eum (補陰) were used more than any other herbs for those whose status improved. Among patients who were partially normalized for the secondary test, this applied to men more than women, to patients in the pain group more than those in other disease groups, and to patients with cerebral hemorrhage more than stroke patients. Among patients who were partially normalized for the secondary test, the group taking tangyak herbal medication improved more than the other groups taking powder and pill herbal medications.