Journal
EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Volume 2012, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
HINDAWI LTD
DOI: 10.1155/2012/534861
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Funding
- Development Funding of Zhejiang Extremely Key Subject of Pharmacology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics
- Wenzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau in Zhejiang province [H20070044, Y20080145]
- Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Zhejiang Province [2010ZQ010]
- Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province [2008R40G2090034]
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that needs long-term levodopa administration and can result in progressive deterioration of body functions, daily activities and participation. The objective of this meta-analysis evaluates the clinical efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as an adjunct therapy for PD patients. Methodological issues include a systematic literature search between 1950 and April 2011 to identify randomized trials involving CHM adjuvant therapy versus western conventional treatment. The outcome measures assessed were the reduction in scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and adverse effects. 19 trials involving 1371 participants were included in the meta-analysis. As compared to western conventional treatment, CHM adjuvant therapy resulted in greater improvement in UPDRS I, II, III, IV scores, and UPDRS I-IV total scores (P < 0.001). Adverse effects were reported in 9 studies. The side effects in CHM adjuvant therapy group were generally less than or lighter than the conventional treatment group. In conclusion, CHM adjuvant therapy may potentially alleviate symptoms of PD and generally appeared to be safe and well tolerated by PD patients. However, well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are still needed due to the generally low methodological quality of the included studies.
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