Efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine in allergic rhinitis: a meta‐analysis

TL;DR

A meta-analysis found that Chinese herbal medicine improves treatment effectiveness, quality of life, and reduces adverse reactions in allergic rhinitis patients.

Contribution

This study provides new evidence through meta-analysis that Chinese herbal medicine is effective for allergic rhinitis with fewer side effects.

Findings

CHM increased treatment response rates compared to controls (p < 0.001).

CHM reduced adverse reactions and improved nasal symptoms like congestion and itching.

CHM lowered blood IgE levels and improved quality of life scores (p < 0.0001).

Abstract

•CHM can enhance the efficacy of AR treatment.•CHM can improve patients’ quality of life.•CHM can result in a lower rate of adverse reactions.

CHM can enhance the efficacy of AR treatment.

CHM can improve patients’ quality of life.

CHM can result in a lower rate of adverse reactions.

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) in treating Allergic Rhinitis (AR) through meta‐analysis.

A meta‐analysis was conducted using a random effects model to explore the impact of CHM on response rates, nasal symptom scores, quality of life, blood Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and adverse reactions.

A total of 1,326 articles were retrieved, of which 12 studies were included. The meta‐analysis showed that the response rate in the experimental group was higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). The adverse reaction rate was lower in the experimental group compared with the control group (p = 0.003). Subgroup analysis by publication year indicated that studies published in 2024 and 2023 showed lower nasal congestion scores in the experimental group compared with the control group (p < 0.0001); nasal itching scores were lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis by age revealed that the 30+ and 40+ age groups had lower nasal itching scores, sneezing scores and rhinorrhea scores in the experimental group compared with the control group (p < 0.0001). Blood IgE levels were also lower in the experimental group compared with the control group (p = 0.002). Scores for the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) were lower in the experimental group (p < 0.0001).

The current evidence suggests that CHM can enhance the efficacy of AR treatment, improve patients’ quality of life, and result in a lower rate of adverse reactions.

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