A Review of Recent Chinese Clinical Studies on Herbal Medicine Treatments for Chronic Pancreatitis

Objectives: This study summarizes current trends and results in clinical studies on herbal medicine treatments for chronic pancreatitis.Methods: Studies published from 2014 to 2023 were searched for on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, and KMbase using the keywords “chronic pancreatitis”, “herbal medicine”, “herb”, “만성 췌장염”, and “한약”. The studies were analyzed according to year, study design, characteristics of the patients, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) intervention.Results: In total, 23 studies were selected. There were 21 randomized controlled trials and 2 case-control studies. The most common herbal prescriptions were Qingyi-tang (淸胰湯), Radix Bupleuri (柴胡), Radix Paeoniae Alba (白芍藥), Radix Glycyrrhizae (甘草), Radix Scutellariae (黃芩), and Rhei Rhizoma (大黃). In all the studies, herbal medicine treatments were effective in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis, and efficacy was assessed using clinical symptoms, physicochemical examination, radiological examination, and relapse.Conclusions: Herbal medicine treatment can be an effective treatment for chronic pancreatitis and has potential in clinical practice.