title: Traditional Chinese herbal products for stable angina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stable angina pectoris is a common condition, worldwide. Traditional Chinese herbal products (TCHP) are developed for treating stable angina pectoris in China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness and safety of TCHP in patients with stable angina.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2006), MEDLINE (1995 to June 2008), EMBASE (1995 to June 2008), the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (1995 to June 2008), Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database (VIP) (1994 to June 2008) and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1995 to June 2008). We handsearched the relevant Chinese journals. We also contacted researchers in the field and authors of studies evaluated in this review for more information. No language restrictions were applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised controlled trials comparing TCHP with placebo, various other TCHP preparations, or with other regimes commonly used currently in the treatment of stable angina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality of studies was assessed independently by two authors. Data were extracted by one author and checked by the other one.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three studies each with the number of participants ranging from 60 to 80, and a total of 216 participants, were included in this review. The interventions used in the included studies were different from one another. One study compared TCHP with nitrates and was of good methodological quality whereas the remaining two trials compared one preparation with another preparation and one was of poor methodological quality. As such, we were unable to perform a summary meta-analysis. Only one trial with small patient numbers showed positive results favouring TCHP treatment compared with nitrates, in improved angina symptoms. Two of the trials stated that adverse reactions occurred but detailed data could not be obtained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is currently insufficient evidence for effectively treating stable angina pectoris with any of the examined TCHP in this review, due to the small number of included studies and participants. Therefore, TCHP should be used with caution. High quality randomised trials with similar interventions are required to strengthen the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of Chinese medicinal herbs in angina pectoris.
authors.affiliation: West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610041.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.forename: Zhengyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hengxi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Taixiang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(1):CD001940
references.pmid: 11279742
references.citation: Circulation. 1979 Mar;59(3):607-9
references.pmid: 761341
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 1993 Dec 1;72(17):1249-56
references.pmid: 8256699
references.citation: Lancet. 2001 Apr 14;357(9263):1191-4
references.pmid: 11323066
references.citation: Lancet. 1999 Nov 27;354(9193):1896-900
references.pmid: 10584742
references.citation: Lancet. 1994 Nov 19;344(8934):1383-9
references.pmid: 7968073
references.citation: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1996 Apr;16(4):204-6
references.pmid: 9206240
references.citation: Med Sci Monit. 2006 Jan;12(1):SR1-7
references.pmid: 16369479
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 1992 Aug 1;70(3):286-92
references.pmid: 1632390
references.citation: Eur Heart J. 1997 Mar;18(3):394-413
references.pmid: 9076376
references.citation: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1997 Jan;17(1):23-5
references.pmid: 9812646
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 1990 Mar 1;65(9):577-82
references.pmid: 2178381
references.citation: J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999 Jun;33(7):2092-197
references.pmid: 10362225
references.citation: Lancet. 1992 Dec 12;340(8833):1421-5
references.pmid: 1360557
references.citation: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1999 May;19(5):286-8
references.pmid: 11783243
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 1991 Apr 1;67(8):665-70
references.pmid: 1672481
references.citation: BMJ. 2003 Sep 6;327(7414):557-60
references.pmid: 12958120