European Journal of Integrative Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Effectiveness and safety of adjuvant therapy of chinese herbal medicine for adenomyosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Li Huang ,&nbsp;Xiaolan Yin ,&nbsp;Yan Wang,&nbsp;Shaobin Wei,&nbsp;Xiaoli Ji,&nbsp;Chengcheng Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102588","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102588","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has long been extensively applied in China for the management of adenomyosis, particularly as an adjunct to conventional therapies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of combining CHM with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in the treatment of adenomyosis.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A comprehensive literature search was performed across seven electronic databases from their inception to December 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CHM combined with LNG-IUS against LNG-IUS monotherapy were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently screened the records and assessed the methodological certainty. Meta-analysis was employed to quantitively synthesize the effect estimates. To ensure the robustness of the results, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias assessment were performed. This study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020145842; Date: April 28, 2020) and OSF (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/A2GHY, Date: April 26, 2020).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Twenty RCTs involving 2114 women were included. The methodological certainty of most included trials was low or very low. Meta-analysis demonstrated that the adjuvant use of CHM therapy might be superior in decreasing visual analogue scale (VAS) scores (MD -1.44, 95 % CI -1.89 to -0.99, <em>P</em>&lt;0.00001, low-certainty evidence) and the pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) (MD -13.00, 95 % CI -18.98 to -7.01, <em>P</em>&lt;0.0001, very low-certainty evidence). In terms of the secondary outcomes, the results indicated that CHM adjuvant therapy significantly reduced the endometrial thickness (MD -2.03, 95 % CI -2.52 to -1.53, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.00001, very low-certainty evidence), the serum CA125 level (MD -7.58, 95 % CI -10.11 to -5.05, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.00001, low-certainty evidence), and the uterine volume (MD -10.23, 95 % CI -15.06 to -5.04, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001, low-certainty evidence). Furthermore, the combination group exhibited a lower incidence of adverse events than the LNG-IUS monotherapy group (RR 0.53, 95 % CI 0.45 to 0.63, <em>P</em>&lt;0.00001, low-certainty evidence).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>CHM combined with LNG-IUS may enhance additional therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse events in patients with adenomyosis. However, given the methodological limitations and considerable heterogeneity across the included trials, these findings should be interpreted with caution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102588"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stakeholder preferences for traditional Chinese medicine services: A systematic review of discrete choice experiments in integrative healthcare","authors":"Meiyu Zhu ,&nbsp;Daiying Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaoting Sun ,&nbsp;Tongyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunmei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is increasingly being integrated into modern healthcare systems worldwide. Understanding stakeholder preferences for TCM services is essential for developing culturally appropriate, patient-centered models of integrative care. This systematic review aims to synthesize and assess evidence from discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to reveal stakeholder preferences for TCM services.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CNKI, Wanfang, and SinoMed databases up to December 2024. Studies were included if they used DCE methodology to examine stakeholder preferences for TCM services among patients, healthcare providers, or the general population. Non-empirical articles and reviews were excluded. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal. Data were synthesized narratively, and semi-quantitative analyses were used to evaluate the frequency, importance, and significance of each attribute. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250632293).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 23 studies were included. Attributes were primarily identified through literature review and expert consultation. Service cost and service convenience were the most frequently examined attributes. Among the 124 identified attributes, 87.1 % were statistically significant. Service experience, therapeutic effects, and service model were most often ranked as the most important attributes. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) varied considerably, with the highest values observed for service experience.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Stakeholders place considerable value on cost, convenience, and service quality when choosing TCM services. These findings provide important evidence to support the development of personalized, patient-centered TCM service models and inform health policy and practice to enhance the accessibility and acceptance of TCM.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102592"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145836857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prakriti-based differences in olfactory perception and receptor gene expression: An Ayurgenomics approach","authors":"Deepika Saini ,&nbsp;Heena Saini ,&nbsp;Neha Singh ,&nbsp;Richa Tripathi ,&nbsp;Meera K. Bhojani","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Ayurgenomics, a pioneering approach integrating Ayurveda and genomics, offers a novel perspective to examine inter-individual variability in terms of health, disease susceptibility, and its recovery. This study explores the relationship between <em>Ayurvedic Prakritis</em> (<em>Vata, Pitta, Kapha</em>) and olfactory perception, alongside its underlying genetic expression patterns, to better understand the biological basis of <em>Prakriti</em> classification. This study aimed to examine differences in olfactory perception and olfactory receptor gene expression among individuals with extreme <em>Prakriti</em> types, as classified by <em>Ayurveda</em>, and to explore potential correlations between these molecular variations and <em>Prakriti</em>-specific phenotypes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 400 candidates (staff, students and patients attendant) from All India Institute of Ayurveda were initially screened using the CCRAS-SAS. Out of these, 300 healthy participants were enrolled and later assessed for three extreme <em>Prakriti</em> phenotypes <em>Vata, Pitta</em>, and <em>Kapha</em>. Among them, 28 were identified with Ekdoshaja Prakriti and chosen for olfactory perception analysis and 24 participants were selected for olfactory receptor gene expression profiling. Olfactory performance was assessed using the <em>Sniffin Sticks Test,</em> evaluating domains, T-score, D-score, and I-score<em>.</em> Expression levels of olfactory genes were quantified using Quantitative PCR.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Significant differences in olfactory performance were observed across the three Prakriti phenotypes, where Kapha showed the best T score, Pitta showed the best D and I score, and Kapha and <em>Pitta</em> had the best TDI score. OR6K3 gene expression was significantly downregulated in <em>Pitta</em> and <em>Kapha Prakritis.</em> However, OR10Z1 gene expression was upregulated in <em>Kapha</em> relative to the other two <em>Prakriti</em>. We have taken <em>Vata Prakriti</em> as reference<em>.</em> Although the study was conducted on a relatively small sample size, the findings provide valuable preliminary insights into the association between Prakriti types, olfactory perception, and OR gene expression.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study reveals that individuals from different <em>Prakriti</em> groups display distinct phenotypic traits in olfactory perception along with specific molecular variations. However, these findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s limitations, including a narrow sample drawn from a single institution and a relatively small number of participants. Further studies with larger and more diverse populations are needed to validate these observations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102599"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145786909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness and safety of Bufei granules in treatment of preserved ratio impaired spirometry: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial","authors":"Yang Xie ,&nbsp;Yiting Li ,&nbsp;Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Baichuan Xu ,&nbsp;Beibei Bao ,&nbsp;Zifan Cheng ,&nbsp;Tao Chen ,&nbsp;Jiansheng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102580","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102580","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Early identification and monitoring of preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) population and suitable intervention can reduce the incidence rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and delay the disease process. Although Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat COPD for many years, few data are available for the PRISm population. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bufei granules in preventing progression from PRISm to COPD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial targeting the PRISm population. One thousand one hundred PRISm patients will be randomly divided into two groups, with the experimental group receiving Bufei granules and the control group receiving placebo granules. The treatment regimen is to take one packet after meals, twice daily, for a period of two years. The main outcome is the incidence rate of COPD, and the secondary outcomes are lung function, COPD screening score, quality of life, clinical symptoms, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), dyspnea score, biochemical indicators, and economic evaluation. Blood and urine routine tests, liver and kidney function tests, electrocardiogram, and chest computed tomography scans will be employed as safety indicators for the trial, with any adverse events occurring during the trial period being accurately recorded. The planned observation duration per patient is 2 years and will be followed up every 6 months.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>This study will provide evidence to assess the efficacy and safety of Bufei granules in preventing progression from PRISm to COPD. It is expected that PRISm volunteers will show a reduced incidence rate and will exhibit improved lung function and quality of life. The data will be released after the research is completed.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration</h3><div>ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT06375824.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102580"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145570815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The efficacy and safety of Shensong Yangxin capsule combination therapy in chronic heart failure combined with atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Heng Sun ,&nbsp;Zuoying Xing ,&nbsp;Genhao Fan ,&nbsp;Jinyu Huang ,&nbsp;Yucai Hu ,&nbsp;Boyong Qiu ,&nbsp;Yankun Song ,&nbsp;Yongxia Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>In recent years, ShenSong YangXin capsule (SSYX) has gained widespread application in China as an adjunctive therapy for patients with chronic heart failure combined with atrial fibrillation (CHF-AF). However, its efficacy and safety profile remain subject to debate, and there is a notable lack of relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses on this topic.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A comprehensive search was conducted across seven databases up to August 25, 2025, identifying eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.1. The Risk of Bias 2.0 tool was used to evaluate study quality, and publication bias was assessed with Egger’s test in Stata. Trial sequential analysis and the GRADE framework were utilized to assess the cumulative evidence and certainty of outcomes. The study protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023482018).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The meta-analysis included 17 RCTs comprising a total of 1756 patients from China. Results indicated that SSYX combined with conventional medication significantly improved clinical efficacy in patients with CHF-AF [RR 1.18 (95 % CI 1.11, 1.25), <em>p</em> &lt; 0.00001] and reduced the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [RR 0.31 (95 % CI 0.23, 0.41), <em>p</em> &lt; 0.00001]. Statistically significant improvements were also observed in the following outcomes: B-type natriuretic peptide, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, QT dispersion (QTd), ventricular rate, and AF duration. Adverse reactions were reported in 11 trials. According to the GRADE framework, one outcome (MACE) was supported by moderate-certainty evidence, three outcomes (clinical efficacy, QTd, and ventricular rate) were graded as low-certainty, and the remaining six outcomes were assessed as having very low-certainty evidence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The combination therapy incorporating SSYX showed potential benefits compared to conventional treatment alone in patients with CHF-AF. However, the overall certainty of evidence is limited. Therefore, these findings require careful interpretation and further large-scale, rigorously designed RCTs are warranted to provide more robust evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of SSYX.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102590"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145733034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modified Saengmaeksan (Shengmai-san) for arterial stiffness in middle-aged women: A feasibility study","authors":"Nahyun Cho ,&nbsp;Jungah Uhm ,&nbsp;Changsop Yang ,&nbsp;Hiroshi Miyashita ,&nbsp;Hobin Moon ,&nbsp;Jungtae Leem","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Aging causes significant vascular alterations, increasing susceptibility to arterial stiffness and cardiovascular diseases. Interest in complementary and alternative medicines, such as modified Saengmaeksan (mSMS), a traditional East Asian herbal formulation, has intensified given its benefits in mitigating arterial stiffness. However, robust clinical evidence supporting it's efficacy remains limited. This feasibility study aimed to explore the applicability, safety, and potential short-term effects of mSMS on pulse wave indices associated with arterial stiffness in a real-world clinical setting.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This prospective single-arm feasibility study enrolled 30 patients aged 19–75 years who underwent mSMS for 4 weeks. The second-derivative photoplethysmography (SDPTG), heart rate variability, augmentation index, and blood pressure-related indices were measured at baseline, after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks of treatment. The body mass index, Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile, and Patient Global Impression of Change scores were also obtained. Blood tests were conducted to assess the safety profile of mSMS.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>High adherence (mean intake of 94.4 %) and full data completeness were achieved. After 4 weeks of mSMS treatment, exploratory analyses showed significant improvements in SDPTG vascular age (mean change: −15.90 years, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and augmentation index (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), with no serious adverse events. Patient-reported outcomes also showed improvement. The study suggests that mSMS may have the potential to improve vascular function and could offer benefits in middle-aged women, potentially independent of menopausal status.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>mSMS administration was feasible and well-tolerated in middle-aged women in a clinical setting. However, due to the single-arm design and small sample size, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. These results support the need for larger, controlled clinical trials to further evaluate the clinical efficacy and target population of mSMS in preventing cardiovascular problems.</div></div><div><h3>Registration</h3><div>Public Institutional Review Board Designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (authorization number: P01–201,711–21–020). Research Information Service of South Korea (KCT0002648).</div></div><div><h3>Funding</h3><div>the National Development Institute of Korean Medicine, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea [grant number HI16C0275]; the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Korea government [grant number RS-2022-NR072366]; the Korea Health Technology Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea [grant numbers RS-2023-KH139333, RS-2023-KH139598].</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102581"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evidence-based ranking of herbal medicines for hypertension management: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Alireza Malektojari ,&nbsp;Parsa Ghaedzade Khamiri ,&nbsp;Fatemeh Bagheri ,&nbsp;Najmeh Baniasadi ,&nbsp;Laya Khajooei ,&nbsp;Mahdieh Roohi ,&nbsp;Mojgan Bolandparva ,&nbsp;Atena Ghorbani ,&nbsp;Mohammad Mehdi Noormohammadi ,&nbsp;Nazanin Hooshyari ,&nbsp;Ani Orchanian-Cheff ,&nbsp;Fateme Afra ,&nbsp;Raziyeh Mirzadeh ,&nbsp;Zahra Mafi ,&nbsp;Raha Paozki ,&nbsp;Abbas Dehghan ,&nbsp;Sara G. Khosrowshahi","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102582","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102582","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Hypertension affects over 116 million adults in the United States and &gt;1 billion globally, substantially contributing to cardiovascular morbidity. Herbal therapies have emerged as potential complementary treatments for blood pressure management. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review with network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed at ranking the most effective herbal therapies for lowering blood pressure.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), selecting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling hypertensive and prehypertensive adults that compare herbal medicine interventions to placebo, usual care, or against each other. We used the Cochrane RoB 2 tool to assess the risk of bias. We performed frequentist random-effects network meta-analyses and summarized effects as mean differences (MD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). We evaluated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 47 RCTs involving 3,559 patients met prespecified eligibility criteria. Our NMA indicates that Celery (Apium graveolens) reduces systolic blood pressure (SBP) by (MD -10.9 [95 % CI -17.6 to -4.3], p-value=0.001) with high certainty of evidence. Caucasian whortleberry (MD -16.2 [95 % CI -22.9 to -9.5], p-value&lt;0.0001), Roselle (MD -7.7 [95 % CI -11.9 to -3.5], p-value=0.0003), and Garlic (MD -6.0 [95 % CI -8.8 to -3.2], p-value&lt;0.0001) probably reduce SBP with moderate certainty. No serious adverse events were reported.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>There is moderate to high certainty that Celery and Caucasian whortleberry were the most effective treatments for reducing blood pressure, among included herbal medicines, in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients. Additional long-term, large-sample RCTs are warranted to refine dosing, safety, and sustained effects. Clinicians should interpret results cautiously, given heterogeneity and limited direct evidence for some herbs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102582"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145537048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effectiveness and safety of GeloMyrtol® forte in the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis: A rapid review of clinical studies","authors":"Mohsen Sobh ,&nbsp;Mohammad Oli Al Islam ,&nbsp;Katrin Vagedes ,&nbsp;Rolf Heine ,&nbsp;Thomas Breitkreuz ,&nbsp;Henrik Szőke ,&nbsp;Holger Cramer ,&nbsp;Jan Vagedes","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Bronchitis is a global health burden characterized by symptoms such as cough, sputum production, and respiratory distress. Although the efficacy of GeloMyrtol forte, an herbal product, in treating bronchitis has been evaluated in clinical trials, no reviews have yet been conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This rapid review included the systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and CAMbase from inception to February 2025 for clinical trials that investigated the efficacy of GeloMyrtol forte in treating acute or chronic bronchitis. Two independent reviewers screened the resulting papers for eligibility criteria and extracted the relevant data for data synthesis. The risk of bias in the included randomized controlled trials was assessed using the Revised Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool (RoB-2).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The systematic search in four databases yielded 28 papers, four of which met the inclusion criteria. These four studies included 1846 patients (511 children) with acute (three studies) or chronic (one study) bronchitis. GeloMyrtol forte reduced cough exacerbations and the need for antibiotics, improved respiratory function and sputum consistency, and led to a statistically significant reduction in symptom duration compared to placebo. Side effects were rare, mainly affecting the gastrointestinal tract, and resolved spontaneously. No study examined the effects of GeloMyrtol forte in pregnancy or lactation.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Oral administration of GeloMyrtol forte reduces the intensity and frequency of the signs and symptoms associated with bronchitis, provided that there is no severe infection and no underlying chronic disease.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102594"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145733032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the feasibility of using the TREATS tool in determining the quality of randomised trials of clinical aromatherapy","authors":"Wendy Maddocks ,&nbsp;Teresa Barron ,&nbsp;Yasmine EIGhamrawy ,&nbsp;Ying Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The TREATS™ protocol was developed in 2023 to improve the quality of reporting of clinical aromatherapy studies. Whilst there has been an increase in the number of studies in the last twenty years, these are often poorly conducted and reported on. The TREATS™ contains 38 points giving an overall rating of the research as either poor, fair or good. The protocol has not been widely tested outside of its development.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This project tested the feasibility of using of the tool on forty-three randomised controlled trials involving clinical aromatherapy published between 2024–2025. The tool was used to score each of the studies to provide a perspective of the quality of current clinical aromatherapy research.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The project found that whilst the tool was easy to use once adapted for multiple studies, and provided a good starting point to evaluate quality, there are recommendations to enhance future iterations of the tool. The overall quality of published studies remains poor to fair according to the tool, with many areas for improvement required.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The TREATS™ is effective as an initial screening tool to evaluate the quality of clinical aromatherapy research, however the quality of extant research remains poor to fair.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102600"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145836765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of Danshen use with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease","authors":"Shih-Jiun Lin ,&nbsp;Cheng-Chi Liu ,&nbsp;David Ming Then Tsai ,&nbsp;Ya-Hsueh Shih ,&nbsp;Chuan-Pin Lee ,&nbsp;Ko-Jung Chen ,&nbsp;Yao-Hsu Yang ,&nbsp;Yung-Chien Hsu ,&nbsp;Chun-Liang Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2025.102589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression is associated with an increased mortality risk, primarily due to cardiovascular (CV) event, underscoring the need for targeted treatments to reduce CV risk and improve patient outcomes. Danshen, a traditional Chinese medicine known for its CV protective effects, is a potential therapy for improving outcomes in CKD patients. This study aims to evaluate the association between Danshen use and CV mortality, all-cause mortality, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) risk in patients with advanced CKD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This retrospective study utilized the Chronic Kidney Disease Health Database, a disease-specific subset of the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. A total of 38,379 patients with advanced CKD were included between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015, with follow up until December 31, 2017. Patients were classified as Danshen users (<em>n</em> = 1818) or non-users (<em>n</em> = 36,561). Outcomes of interest were ESRD, CV mortality and all-cause mortality. Cumulative incidence was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs), with adjustment for potential confounders. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting – average treatment effect (IPTW-ATE) was applied to balance baseline characteristics between patient groups and to estimate IPTW-adjusted HRs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Danshen users showed a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (IPTW-adjusted HR, 0.80; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.71–0.91; <em>P</em> = 0.001) and a trend toward lower CV mortality (IPTW-adjusted HR, 0.82; 95 % CI, 0.68–1.00; <em>P</em> = 0.055), although the latter association was not statistically significant. However, there was a potential increase in ESRD risk among Danshen users (IPTW-adjusted subdistribution HR, 1.15; 95 % CI, 1.03–1.28; <em>P</em> = 0.010).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Danshen use in advanced CKD patients was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality and a trend toward lower CV mortality, but a potential increase in ESRD risk. These findings suggest that Danshen may provide CV and survival benefits in this high-risk population, but close monitoring of renal function is warranted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102589"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}