Review Is Gwibitang and its modification beneficial for alleviating symptoms in CFS: A systematic review and meta-analysis, 2020, Donghyun

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https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202016357498272.page

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Herbal Formula Science (대한한의학방제학회지)
The Korean Medicine Society for the Herbal Formula Study (대한한의학방제학회)
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Is Gwibitang and its modification beneficial for alleviating symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
귀비탕과 그 변방의 만성피로증후군 증상완화에 대한 효용성: 체계적인 문헌고찰
  • Nam, Donghyun (Department of Biofunctional Medicine and Diagnosis, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University)
  • 남동현 (상지대학교 한의과대학 진단.생기능의학교실)
  • Received : 2020.04.13
  • Accepted : 2020.05.28
  • Published : 2020.05.31
Abstract

Objectives :

The purpose of this systematic review is to confirm whether Gwibitang is beneficial in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Methods : Clinical trials were searched from databases including Pubmed, Embase, Central Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, CiNii, OASIS, Koreamed, and NDSL. The eligible study design was limited into randomized controlled trial, quasi-randomized controlled trial and controlled clinical trial. The outcomes included general effectiveness as nominal scale, and fatigue severity, insomnia severity and quality of life as interval or ratio scale. The meta-analysis and assessment of risk of bias was performed based on the data extracted from the selected trials.

Results :

The results of eight randomized controlled trials (n=596) were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the synthesis showed Gwibitang is beneficial substantially for relieving and managing the general symptoms, and its heterogeneity was not in important level (RR 0.26 [95% CI 0.17, 0.39], Z=6.47, P<0.00001, I2=0%). Gwibitang was beneficial for alleviating fatigue (SMD -0.78 [95% CI -1.27, -0.30], Z=3.17, P=0.002), but its certainty was low. In case of insomnia, too few trials had been found and their risk of bias was substantial, so no conclusions had been brought to.

Conclusions :

We found an evidence that Gwibitang could be beneficial for managing and alleviating main symptoms in CFS patients.

Keywords




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To those like me who had no idea what Gwibitang was, I just looked it up and it is a herbal formula used in traditional Korean medicine.

Unfortunately the list of ingredients I found in a couple of academic papers meant nothing to me so I will not share links I found.
 
I see they accepted trials with subjective outcome measures. And the trials were described as randomised and controlled, but no mention in the abstract of being blinded. If not blinded, then they are all as useless as the CBT/GET trials.
 
could be
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When you have super high quality evidence.

Could be ghosts. Could be cosmic wizards. Could be we are all dead and this is hell.

If only there were some sort of process by which we can tell reliably whether something could be or not be. One that does not involve narratives and inventing entirely new words and meanings anyway.
 
Guibitang (GBT), known as ‘Kihi-to’ in Japan and ‘Gui-Pi-Tang’ in China, is a traditional medicine and herbal formula that has been used for several hundred years, predominantly to treat insomnia, amnesia, palpitations, anxiety, fatigue, poor appetite, and depression [5]. Recent studies have reported the specific bioactivities of GBT, which include immune regulation [6], antioxidant effects [7], and protective effect of the gastric mucosa [8].

GBT is an aqueous polyherbal formulation that contains 12 herbs: Angelica gigasNakai, Dimocarpus longan, Zizyphus jujuba Miller (seed), Polygala tenuifolia, Panax ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Atractylodes ovate, Poria cocos, Inula helenium, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Zingiber officinale, and Zizyphus jujuba Miller (Fructus).
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Has a number of the usual components of tonics against fatigue

rvallee said:
Could be ghosts. Could be cosmic wizards. Could be we are all dead and this is hell.
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And there could be something in that mix that is actually helping.

Angelica gigas, - giant angelica
Dimocarpus longan, - longan, a tropical fruit
Zizyphus jujuba Miller (seed and fruit), - jujube in the buckthorn family
Polygala tenuifolia, - yuan chi, a milkwort
Panax ginseng, - Asian ginseng
Astragalus membranaceus, - astralagus
Atractylodes ovata, - atractylodes, a type of daisy
Poria cocos, - Poria fungus
Inula helenium, - Elecapane, a type of daisy
Glycyrrhiza glabra, - Licorice root
Zingiber officinale - ginger

But it's impossible to know with unblinded studies. (I haven't seen an English version of the paper and I can't read Korean, but I'm willing to bet that among the studies included, there are some sponsored by companies selling Guibitang.)
rvallee said:
If only there were some sort of process by which we can tell reliably whether something could be or not be.
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Yeah.
 
Hutan said:
Angelica gigas, - giant angelica
Dimocarpus longan, - longan, a tropical fruit
Zizyphus jujuba Miller (seed and fruit), - jujube in the buckthorn family
Polygala tenuifolia, - yuan chi, a milkwort
Panax ginseng, - Asian ginseng
Astragalus membranaceus, - astralagus
Atractylodes ovata, - atractylodes, a type of daisy
Poria cocos, - Poria fungus
Inula helenium, - Elecapane, a type of daisy
Glycyrrhiza glabra, - Licorice root
Zingiber officinale - ginger

But it's impossible to know with unblinded studies. (I haven't seen an English version of the paper and I can't read Korean, but I'm willing to bet that among the studies included, there are some sponsored by companies selling Guibitang.)
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Wow, it'd help if they isolated it down to one of those extracts. It's impossible to say what would be the relevant bioactive compound from that long list!
 
Panax ginseng, - Asian ginseng overstimulated my nervous system many years. I was jittery for 6 weeks until I realized it was the herb. Gave me insomnia too. I can't imagine all those herbs combined as beneficial for an already overactive nervous system.
 
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