Systematic review and meta analysis of randomized controlled trials on Tianmagouteng decoction in treatment of primary hypertension with liver Yang hyperactivity syndrome

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of Tianmagouteng decoction in the treatment of primary hypertension with liver yang hyperactivity syndrome.MethodsThe databases of MEDLINE (1950-2012), EMbase (1980-2012), China biology medicine (CBM) (1994-2012), China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) (1989-2012), Weipu (VIP) (1995-2012) and Wanfang (1989-2012) were searched and we performed manual searches for conference proceedings to select randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Tianmagouteng decoction for the treatment of primary hypertension with liver Yang hyperactivity syndrome. Studies were enrolled according to the study-selecting criteria. The methodological quality was evaluated, data were extracted and meta-analyses were conducted with RevMan 4.2 software.ResultsNine RCTs were selected involving 784 patients with no significant difference in decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) [OR=1.02, 95% CI (-0.24, 2.29), P=0.10] and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [OR=0.56, 95% CI (-0.10,1.23), P=0.11] between the Tianmagouteng group and the control group. While there was a significantly larger increase in serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) [OR= 6.26, 95% CI (1.27,11.66), P=0. 01] in the Tianmagouteng group than that in the control groupConclusionTianmagouteng decoction can decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and greatly increase serum SOD. Due to poor quality of included studies, the efficacy needs to be further assessed.