Chinese Herbal Medicine, Alternative or Complementary, for Endometriosis-Associated Pain: A Meta-Analysis

Yuezhen Lin, Ling Wu, Ruihua Zhao, Jacqueline Pui Wah Chung, Pui Wah Chung, Chi Chiu Wang
The American journal of Chinese medicine · 2023 · vol. 51(04) , pp. 807–832 · doi:10.1142/s0192415x23500386 · PMID:37120704 · W4367549937
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This meta-analysis of 34 trials found that Chinese herbal medicine, alone or combined with conventional therapy, significantly reduced endometriosis-associated pain and associated symptoms with fewer side effects compared to no treatment or conventional therapy alone.

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Abstract

Current medical treatments for endometriosis-associated pain (EAP) have limitations, including symptom recurrence and hormonal side effects. For this reason, it is important to elucidate any alternative or complementary treatments available, while Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) shows potential to be this treatment. This study aims to provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of CHM for EAP. Randomized control trials comparing CHM to other treatments for EAP in women with endometriosis were considered eligible, and they were searched for in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov, as well as in the Chinese databases Sino-Med and CNKI, from inception to October 2021. Numerous outcomes were put through meta-analysis using a weighted mean difference and a 95% CI, and the results of dichotomous data were presented as a pooled RR with a 95% CI. A total of 34 eligible studies with 3389 participants were included. Compared with no treatment, there was a statistically significant pooled benefit of CHM on dysmenorrhea at the end of 3-month treatment, and these effects continued for 3 months, but not 9 months, after treatment. Compared with conventional therapy, a significant difference was found in the levels of pelvic pain with a lower rate of hot flush and irregular vaginal bleeding at the end of treatment for 3 months, but not after treatment. Comparing combined treatment with CHM and conventional therapy with conventional therapy alone, significant decreases were found in dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain after a 3-month treatment cycle, and in dysmenorrhea after a 4-month treatment cycle with a lower hot flash rate. In conclusion, CHM, used alone or in combination with conventional therapies, appears to have benefits in relieving EAP with fewer side effects than traditional treatment.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004412mesh:D004715mesh:D017699endometriosisdysmenorrheadyspareunia

MeSH descriptors

Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Drugs, Chinese Herbal Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (30)

Cited by (9)

Source provenance

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