TY - JOUR
T1 - Chinese herbal medicine for schizophrenia: Cochrane systematic review of randomised trials
AU - Rathbone, John
AU - Zhang, Lan
AU - Zhang, Mingming
AU - Xia, Jun
AU - Liu, Xiehe
AU - Yang, Yanchun
AU - Adams, Clive E.
PY - 2007/5
Y1 - 2007/5
N2 - Background: Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat millions of people with schizophrenia for thousands of years. Aims: To evaluate Chinese herbal medicine as a treatment for schizophrenia. Method: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Results: Seven trials were included. Most studies evaluated Chinese herbal medicine in combination with Western antipsychotic drugs; in these trials results tended to favour combination treatment compared with antipsychotic alone (Clinical Global Impression 'not improved/ worse' n=123, RR=0.19, 95% CI 0.1-0.6, NNT=6,95% CI 5-11; n=109, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale 'not improved/ worse' RR=0.78, 95% CI 0.5-1.2; n=109, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms 'not improved/worse' RR=0.87, 95% CI 0.7-1.2; n=109, Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms 'not improved/worse' RR=0.69, 95% CI 0.5-1.0, NNT=695% CI 4-162). Medium-term study attrition was significantly less for people allocated the herbal/antipsychotic mix (n=897, four RCTs, RR=0.34, 95% CI 0.2-0.7, NNT=23, 95% CI 18-43). Conclusions: Results suggest that combining Chinese herbal medicine with antipsychotics is beneficial.
AB - Background: Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat millions of people with schizophrenia for thousands of years. Aims: To evaluate Chinese herbal medicine as a treatment for schizophrenia. Method: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Results: Seven trials were included. Most studies evaluated Chinese herbal medicine in combination with Western antipsychotic drugs; in these trials results tended to favour combination treatment compared with antipsychotic alone (Clinical Global Impression 'not improved/ worse' n=123, RR=0.19, 95% CI 0.1-0.6, NNT=6,95% CI 5-11; n=109, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale 'not improved/ worse' RR=0.78, 95% CI 0.5-1.2; n=109, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms 'not improved/worse' RR=0.87, 95% CI 0.7-1.2; n=109, Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms 'not improved/worse' RR=0.69, 95% CI 0.5-1.0, NNT=695% CI 4-162). Medium-term study attrition was significantly less for people allocated the herbal/antipsychotic mix (n=897, four RCTs, RR=0.34, 95% CI 0.2-0.7, NNT=23, 95% CI 18-43). Conclusions: Results suggest that combining Chinese herbal medicine with antipsychotics is beneficial.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34248161656&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.026880
DO - 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.026880
M3 - Review article
C2 - 17470951
SN - 0007-1250
VL - 190
SP - 379
EP - 384
JO - British Journal of Psychiatry
JF - British Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 5
ER -