title: Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia: systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: Chinese herbal medicine is commonly used as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), but its efficacy and safety remain to be examined. To compare the efficacy and adverse events of Chinese herbal medicine alone or used adjuvantly with Western medications for BPH. Two independent reviewers searched the major electronic databases for randomized controlled trials comparing Chinese herbal medicine, either in single or adjuvant use with Western medication, with placebo or Western medication. Relevant journals and grey literature were also hand-searched. The outcome measures included changes in urological symptoms, urodynamic measures, prostate volume and adverse events. The frequency of commonly used herbs was also identified. Out of 13 922 identified citations of publications, 31 studies were included. Eleven studies with a Jadad score ≥ 3 were selected for meta-analysis. Chinese herbal medicine was superior to Western medication in improving quality of life and reducing prostate volume. The frequency of adverse events in Chinese herbal medicine was similar to that of placebo and less than that of Western medication. The evidence is too weak to support the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine for BPH due to the poor methodological quality and small number of trials included. The commonly used herbs identified here should provide insights for future clinical practice and research. Larger randomized controlled trials of better quality are needed to truly evaluate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine.
authors.affiliation: The University of Hong Kong, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong 852, China.
authors.forename: Chun Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wai Ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sing Leung
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Xun-Yuan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Vivian Taam
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ziea
authors.forename: Zhang-Jin
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal