Medicinal Herbs for Managing Fatigue Symptoms in Patients with Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue, 2020, Kim

[Dolphin]

Looks like CFS may have been looked at in this.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876382019314076

European Journal of Integrative Medicine
Available online 14 February 2020, 101069


Systematic Review
Medicinal Herbs for Managing Fatigue Symptoms in Patients with Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue: A PRISMA Compliant Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Based on the GRADE Approach
Author links open overlay panelTae-HunKim1Do-HoonKim2Jung WonKang3
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2020.101069Get rights and content

Abstract
Introduction
Idiopathic chronic fatigue is a common condition that has a profound impact on daily life. Given the absence of a clearly defined guideline for conventional treatment, herbal medicines are often the preferred interventions in these patients. In this updated systematic review, we evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of herbal medicines in patients with idiopathic chronic fatigue using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

Method
Core electronic databases were searched up to May 2019. The review included RCTs that compared herbal medicines with placebo, waitlist, or conventional drug treatments. Risk of bias was assessed to evaluate the methodological quality of the individual studies and a meta-analysis was performed to calculate summary effect estimates based on a random effects model. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated by GRADE assessment.

Results
Twenty-two RCTs (1819 patients) were eligible for inclusion in the review. The standardized mean difference on the fatigue symptom scale was -1.19 (95% confidence interval -1.45, -0.92, I2 = 85%) in favor of herbal medicines. Only a few studies reported adverse events, all of which were mild and self-limiting. The certainty of evidence level for the effect of herbal medicines was found to be very low by GRADE assessment.

Conclusion
Even though our summary effects estimate suggests a potential benefit of herbal medicines for managing fatigue symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome, the evidence needs to be updated by rigorous clinical trials with detailed reporting of adverse events in the future.

Keywords
idiopathic chronic fatigue
chronic fatigue syndrome
randomized controlled trials
meta-analysis
systematic review
herbal medications

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© 2020 Published by Elsevier GmbH.

 

[Peter T]

Didn’t bother to read the article but it is always worrying when there is confusion of terms even in the abstract.

There seems to be significant confusion between the symptom of chronic fatigue that features in a very large number of conditions, the hypothesised condition of idiopathic chronic fatigue that presumably displays the symptom of chronic fatigue in isolation and the distinct condition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with multi-system involvement.

 

[Trish]

Why would they look at studies of 'herbal medicines' and lump them all together as if they were all the same. Might as well do a systematic review of 'drugs' to treat some vaguely defined symptom. Equally useless. And why if, as they acknowledge, the quality of evidence is very low, would they suggest herbs might be useful?

 

[Wonko]

.......why if, as they acknowledge, the quality of evidence is very low, would they suggest herbs might be useful?

Maybe they once met someone who just happens to sell 'herbs' and felt like doing them a favour, for karmic reasons?

 

[chrisb]

Maybe the sellers of herbs are the business partners, or sleeping partners, of those who recommend their services. Such arrangements exist.

 

[Mij]

How is this any different from Jarred Younger recommending herbs for brain inflammation?

 

[Trish]

How is this any different from Jarred Younger recommending herbs for brain inflammation?

I assume he doesn't recommend 'herbs' in general, but some specific ones, and as a research project, I think. He's not a clinician.

 

[rvallee]

Why would they look at studies of 'herbal medicines' and lump them all together as if they were all the same. Might as well do a systematic review of 'drugs' to treat some vaguely defined symptom. Equally useless. And why if, as they acknowledge, the quality of evidence is very low, would they suggest herbs might be useful?

Looking forward to the review on whether "stuff" is a useful treatment for "issues".

 

[Sisyphus]

TB;DR (too bullchitty, didn't read).
and
Sounds like using a bundle of stimulants which most wouldn't recognize as such to juice sick people up. For us, that works great. Until the crash. Ooop, study's over, no more sequalae data accepted, you must have some other thing going on.