The efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine as an add-on therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has attracted widespread attention because of its unknown pathogenesis, rapid progression, and life-threatening and incurable characteristics. A series of complementary therapies, including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), is available for use in the clinic and has been the focus of much research. However, it is unclear as to whether supplementary CHM relieves disease symptoms or extends life span; thus, we conducted this updated meta-analysis to validate the efficacy and safety of this practice.

Methods

We searched six electronic databases for randomized controlled trials involving CHM and patients with ALS that were published up to April 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, assessed the risk of bias for e

SUBMITTER: Liao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9583903 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature