Advances in heroin addiction treatment with traditional Chinese medicine: a systematic review of recent Chinese language journals.
The aim of this review is to critically examine the clinical trial research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an intervention in treating heroin addiction in People's Republic of China. This review examines Chinese-language-only publications for the patent medicines: Shenfu Tuodu, Fukang Pian, and Shifu Sheng. Other compound medicines will be reviewed in future publications. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in Western and Chinese databases. Most trials were excluded because they did not declare randomization and had poor methodology or reporting. The majority of clinical evidence in the random controlled trials demonstrates good evidence for TCM patent medicines in heroin addiction treatment. When compared to typical Western medications, TCMs demonstrate fewer side-effects, in addition to equal measures of treatment efficacy and safety.
Jordan
James B
JB
Department of Psychology, College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM 87505, USA. jjordan@csf.edu
Tu
Xiang
X
D002681:China; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic