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Chinese Medicine
Published in: Chinese Medicine 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Review

Effect of Xiaoyaosan on major depressive disorder

Authors: Lin-Lin Jing, Xiao-Xia Zhu, Zhi-Ping Lv, Xue-Gang Sun

Published in: Chinese Medicine | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Xiaoyaosan (XYS) for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and to review the studies on antidepressant mechanisms of XYS.

Methods

The China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (1998–2014), VIP Journal Integration Platform (1989–2009), and PubMed (1950–2014) were used to search for and collect scientific publications related to XYS and MDD. Clinical trials for “MDD” and “xiaoyao” were screened. Papers that used the original prescription of XYS for treatment and in combination with Western medicines were included, while papers describing modified XYS were excluded. Four investigators read and screened the resulting publications independently, evaluated the associated scientific results and evidence.

Results

There were no conclusive results to support the efficacy of XYS for treatment of MDD, owing to limited sample sizes, flaws in blinding and randomization, and lack of multi-centered clinical trials. Among the experimental studies on the effects of XYS possible involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function, and neuroinflammation were possibly involved demonstrated.

Conclusions

The effectiveness of XYS for treatment of MDD is uncertain.
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Metadata
Title
Effect of Xiaoyaosan on major depressive disorder
Authors
Lin-Lin Jing
Xiao-Xia Zhu
Zhi-Ping Lv
Xue-Gang Sun
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Chinese Medicine / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1749-8546
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-015-0050-0

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