Efficacy of Longdan Xiegan Decoction on the Treatment of Eczema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background. Longdan Xiegan decoction (LDXGD) has been widely used in the treatment of eczema. In recent years, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LDXGD for the treatment of eczema have gradually increased. Most of the results show that LDXGD is effective in treating eczema. However, whether these conclusions are reliable or not requires meta-analysis. Objective. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of LDXGD in the treatment of eczema. Materials and Methods. Seven electronic databases, including PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature on Disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) were systematically searched from their inception until January 2021. Risk of bias was assessed using criteria from the Cochrane Collaboration and meta-analysis was conducted on the screened literature data using Review Manage (RevMan 5.3). Then, to assess the quality of evidence, the GRADE criteria was adopted. Results. 14 RCTs with 1080 participants were identified. Meta-analysis indicated that compared with western medicine (WM), the cure rate and the total effective rate of LDXGD in treating eczema were higher. Meanwhile, the recurrence rate and the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) after treatment were lower. The adverse reaction was reported in 5 out of 14 studies without significant statistical difference. According to GRADE criteria, the quality of evidence was low for all outcomes except for the cure rate (moderate-quality evidence) and the total effective rate (moderate-quality evidence). Conclusion. The clinical efficacy of LDXGD in the treatment of eczema was more effective compared with the one of conventional WM alone. However, due to the limitation of the quality of the included studies, additional studies are required to further confirm these results.

The Holistic Philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Conflicts With Modern Medicine

“…Another critical issue in allying the medications between TCM and Western medicine is that TCM medications are standardized formulas comprising multiple herbs. Ancient fixed formulations, such as Buzhong Yiqi decoction,21,22 Longdan Xiegan decoction, and so forth, can be applied in research directly23,24; yet in real-world clinical practice, TCM physicians prescribe multiherb formulas with changeable proportions, depending on variations in patients' symptoms. For example, a fixed formula as “Sijunzi decoction (SJZD)” is the basic formulation of TCM for strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, which is composed of 4 herbs25; if patients have varied symptoms such as ulcerative colitis, a modified SJZD that adds another Chinese herb will be applied 26,27.…”

Efficacy and safety of LongdanXiegan Decoction on the Treatment of chronic prostatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Longdanxiegan decoction (LDXGD) is a combination of 10 herbs, namely Longdancao (Radix Gentianae), Zhizi (Gardenia Jasminoide), Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae), Mutong (Caulis Akebiae), Cheqianzi (Semen Plantaginis), Zexie (Rhizoma Alismatis), Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Shangdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae), Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri), Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae). Many diseases can be treated with LDXGD, including chronic prostatitis, chronic gastritis [9], psoriasis vulgaris [10], insomnia [11], hypertension [12], Eczema [13], etc.…”