Hu 2002.

Methods	Study design: parallel RCT
Participants	Country: China Primary nephrotic syndrome patients (proteinuria > 3.5 g/d; plasma albumin < 30/dL; high oedema; hyperlipidaemia) Number: treatment group (18); control group (20) Age range: 14 to 50 years Sex (M/F): 17/21
Interventions	Treatment group Huangqi intravenous injection 40 mL Huangqi + 250 mL 5% glucose/d Drugs control group received Control group Prednisone Initial dose 1.5 to 2.0 mg/kg/d Anticoagulant Diuretics
Outcomes	Plasma albumin Blood cholesterol Blood triglyceride No improvement: urine protein unchanged, symptoms not disappeared, kidney function unchanged, plasma albumin unchanged
Notes	Baseline declining kidney function: NS Pathology: NS Remission: described in detail Relapse: NS Time to relapse: NS Mean follow‐up: 20 days Dosage: described in detail Prepare method: NS Source of funding: none
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	We interviewed the author by telephone, they used simple randomisation.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	High risk	The random number table was produced by themselves. Investigator knew the intervention group before eligible participants entered in the study.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Blinding was not used in the study.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	NS
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	The data for all 38 patients were reported.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All clinically relevant and reasonably expected outcomes were reported.
Other bias	Unclear risk	The study did not show any interest.