title: Herbal medicine for adults with asthma: A systematic review.
abstract: Many people with asthma use herbal medicines to help reduce symptoms and improve asthma control.
  
  
  
  To update the systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of herbal medicine for adult asthma.
  
  
  
  Nine English and Chinese databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, AMED, CBM, CNKI, CQVIP, Wanfang).
  
  
  
  Herbal medicines combined with routine pharmacotherapies compared with the same pharmacotherapies alone or placebo. Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and GRADE Summary of Findings tables were used to evaluate methodological quality.
  
  
  
  Twenty-nine (29) studies involving 3,001 participants were included. Herbal interventions used multi-ingredients such as licorice root, crow-dipper, astragali, and angelica. Compared with routine pharmacotherapies alone, herbal medicines as add-on therapy improved lung function (FEV1: MD 7.81%, 95% CI 5.79, 9.83, I(2) = 63%; PEFR: MD 65.14 L/min, 95% CI 58.87, 71.41, I(2) = 21%); asthma control (MD 2.47 points, 95% CI 1.64, 3.29, I(2) = 55%); reduced salbutamol usage (MD -1.14 puffs/day, 95% CI -2.20, -0.09, I(2) = 92%); and reduced acute asthma exacerbations over one year (MD -1.20, 95% CI -1.82, -0.58, one study). Compared with placebo plus pharmacotherapies herbal medicines as add-on therapy improved lung function (FEV1: MD 15.83%, 95% CI 13.54, 18.12 and PEFR: MD 55.20 L/min, 95% CI 33.41, 76.99). Other outcomes were not reported in these placebo studies. Included studies were low to moderate quality. Adverse events were rare.
  
  
  
  Herbal medicines combined with routine pharmacotherapies improved asthma outcomes greater than pharmacotherapies alone. Included studies did not blind participants therefore more studies that address such weaknesses are warranted.
authors.affiliation: a China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Johannah L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Shergis
authors.affiliation: b Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: a China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Xinfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: b Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou , China.|c Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Chuanjian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: a China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Melbourne , Australia.|b Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Charlie C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents
keywords: Adult asthma; Chinese medicine; herbal medicine; meta-analysis; systematic review