Chinese Herbal Medicine Versus Placebo for the Treatment Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Protocol of Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by published meta-analyses. However, disease outcomes were inconsistent and heterogeneity was observed attributed to placebo-controlled studies. We present a protocol for a systematic review aiming to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of CHM comparing to placebo in the treatment of stable COPD, to provide robust evidence for the use of CHM in COPD.

"Yellow-dragon Wonderful-seed Formula" for hyperuricemia in gout patients with dampness-heat pouring downward pattern: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories, the typical clinical manifestations of gout are attributed to the "dampness-heat pouring downward." Therefore, TCM practitioners always consider prescribing the formulae which are believed to clear heat and drain dampness for the management of gout. This clinical trial aims: (1) to determine the hypouricemic effect of "Yellow-dragon Wonderful-seed Formula" (YWF) decoction in gout patients with dampness-heat pouring downward pattern and (2) to determine if gypsum could provide additional significant benefits to YWF.