The Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine Gualouxiebaibanxia Decoction for the Treatment of Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review

We systematically assess the current clinical evidence of Gualouxiebaibanxia (GLXBBX) decoction for the treatment of angina pectoris (AP). We included RCTs testing GLXBBX against conventional drugs and GLXBBX combined with conventional drugs versus conventional drugs. 19 RCTs involving 1730 patients were finally identified, and the methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. The results of the meta-analysis showed that GLXBBX alone had significant effect on improving angina symptoms (RR: 1.24, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.35; P < 0.00001), ECG (RR: 1.28 [1.13,1.44]; P < 0.0001), and HDL-C (MD: 0.56 [0.54,0.58]; P < 0.00001) compared with anti-arrhythmic drugs. A significant improvement in angina symptoms (RR: 1.17 [1.12,1.22]; P < 0.00001) and ECG (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = [1.14,1.30]; P < 0.00001) was observed for GLXBBX plus conventional drugs when compared with conventional drugs. Eight trials reported adverse events without serious adverse effects. GLXBBX appears to have beneficial effects on improvement of ECG and reduction of angina symptoms in participants with AP. However, the evidence remains weak due to the poor methodological quality of the included studies. More rigorous trials are needed to confirm the results.