Chinese Herbal Medicine for Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cognitive Outcomes

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition that may be prodromal to the development of dementia. There remain, as yet, no approved pharmaceutical interventions for MCI. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) have a long history of use for cognitive impairments and some plant ingredients have shown neuroprotective actions in experimental studies. This review assesses the current clinical evidence from controlled clinical trials for the effects of CHMs on cognitive outcomes as measured by Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) or Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog). Fifty one studies (4026 participants) were included. These compared CHM with placebo, supportive care, pharmaceutical treatment or combined CHM with a pharmaceutical in an integrative setting. For the eight randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of comparisons with placebo, MMSE was significantly higher in the CHM groups (MD 1.56 [0.78, 2.34] I = 85%, n = 503), similarly for eight RCTs of comparisons with supportive care (MD 1.77 [1.33, 2.21] I = 0%, n = 555). Benefits were also evident in comparisons with some pharmaceuticals and with integrative treatment. The small size of most studies and methodological weaknesses mean that these results should be interpreted with caution. Further studies employing rigorous methods are required to investigate the potential benefits of these CHMs for MCI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Korean Traditional Medicine in Treating Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Case Series

“…According to a systematic review of Chinese herbal medicine for MCI, the MMSE score showed inconsistent results. e MMSE score was not significantly improved compared to placebo in studies with 12 weeks of treatment period, whereas it significantly improved in studies with 16 weeks of treatment period [13]. By contrast, systematic review with MoCA score showed more consistent result in the effect of herbal medicine for MCI.…”

“…ere have been many randomized controlled trials [8][9][10][11] and systematic reviews [12][13][14] of Chinese herbal medicine for MCI treatment. Although the randomized controlled trial and systematic review are good strategies to provide high quality evidence with low risk of bias, they have some restrictions in reflecting the current healthcare environments.…”

Medicinal uses, pharmacology, and phytochemistry of Convolvulaceae plants with central nervous system efficacies: A systematic review

“…Nearly 51% of approved drugs directly or indirectly originated from natural products since 1980 (Newman & Cragg, ). Among plant medicines used in CNS disorder treatments historically, many are proven effective by modern pharmacological studies (Chen et al, ; da Costa et al, ; Dong et al, ; Hosseinkhani, Sahragard, Namdari, & Zarshenas, ). Meanwhile, plenty of natural metabolites identified from medicinal plants have demonstrated efficacy in in vivo or in vitro models, suggesting their therapeutic potential on CNS disorders (Nabavi et al, ; Z. Y. Wang et al, ).…”

Comparisons between traditional medicines and pharmacotherapies for Alzheimer disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of cognitive outcomes

“…Memantine is recommended for severe AD and for people with moderate AD who are intolerant of AChEIs . Systematic reviews have been published on traditional medicines (TMs) for dementia and mild cognitive impairment …”