TABLE 4.

Human studies on the combined application of TCM botanical drug formulas in improving IR in PCOS.

Name	Composition	Experimental type	Study design	Other symptoms with more significant improvement in TCM combination versus conventional therapy alone	Treatment interventions	The extraction procedure	The literature
Cangfu Daotan Decoction	Atractylodes sp. [10 g; Asteraceae; Atractylodis rhizoma] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Atractylodis rhizoma includes Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. and Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz.), Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott, Arisaema heterophyllum Blume, Arisaema amurense Maxim. [10 g; Araceae; Rhizoma Arisaematis], Acorus tatarinowii Schott [10 g; Araceae; Acori tatarinowii rhizoma], Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino [10 g; Araceae; Pinelliae rhizoma], Gleditsia sinensis Lam. [10 g; Fabaceae; Gleditsiae spina], Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels [10 g; Apiaceae; Angelicae sinensis radix], Cyperus rotundus L. [15g; Cyperaceae; Cyperi rhizoma], Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf [15 g; Polyporaceae; Poria], Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge [15 g; Lamiaceae; Salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma], Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. [15 g; Scrophulariaceae; Rehmanniae radix], Cuscuta sp. [20 g; Convolvulaceae; Cuscutae Semen] (The specific species was not specified in the original study. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Cuscutae Semen includes Cuscuta chinensis Lam. and Cuscuta australis R.Br.), Citrus reticulata Blanco [6 g; Rutaceae; Citri reticulatae pericarpium]	In vivo	NRCT	E2↑ LH↓ FSH↓ T↓ TCHO↓ TG↓ LDL-C↓ HDL-C↑ Pregnancy rate↑	Drospirenone and ethinylestradiol tablets (II)/Drospirenone and ethinylestradiol tablets (II) + CDD	These Chinese herbal medicines were decocted with 400 mL of clear water	Fu et al. (2024b)
Dingkun Pill	Full specific composition not specified	In vivo	RCT	QUICKI↑	Dingkun Pill/Diane-35/Dingkun Pill + Diane-35	The specific extraction method was not specified	Deng et al. (2020)
Guizhi Fuling formula	Prunus sp. [Rosaceae; Persicae Semen] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Persicae Semen includes Prunus persica (L.) Batsch and Prunus davidiana (Carr.) Franch.), Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl [Lauraceae; Cinnamomi cassiae ramulus], Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf [Polyporaceae; Poria], Paeonia lactiflora Pall. [Ranunculaceae; Paeoniae Alba Radix], Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. [Ranunculaceae; Paeoniae suffruticosae cortex] The specific dosages (in grams) of the traditional Chinese medicines involved in this study were not clearly indicated in the original data	In vivo	Meta-analysis of RCTs	Ovulation rate ↑ pregnancy rate ↑ FSH ↓ T ↓ LH ↓	conventional medicine (Clomiphene citrate, ECA, Metformin, Pioglitazone)/conventional medicine + GZFL	The specific extraction method was not specified	Rong et al. (2022)
Jiawei Huanglian-Wendan decoction	Coptis sp. [6 g; Ranunculaceae; Coptidis Rhizoma] (The specific species was not specified in the original study. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Coptidis Rhizoma includes Coptis chinensis Franch., Coptis deltoidea C. Y. Cheng et Hsiao and Coptis teeta Wall.), Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi [10 g; Lamiaceae; Scutellariae radix], Bambusa sp. [15 g; Poaceae; Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam] (The specific species was not specified in the original study. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam includes Bambusa tuldoides Munro, Sinocalamus beecheyanus (Munro) McClure var. pubescens P.F.Li and Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle.), Citrus sp. [12 g; Rutaceae; Aurantii Fructus Immaturus] (The specific species was not specified in the original study. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Aurantii Fructus Immaturus includes Citrus aurantium L. and Citrus sinensis Osbeck.), Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf [15 g; Polyporaceae; Poria], Citrus reticulata Blanco [12 g; Rutaceae; Citri reticulatae pericarpium], Cyperus rotundus L. [12 g; Cyperaceae; Cyperi rotundi radix et rhizoma], Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino [10 g; Araceae; Pinelliae rhizoma], Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge [12 g; Lamiaceae; Salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma], Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels [12 g; Apiaceae; Angelicae sinensis radix], Cuscuta sp. [24 g; Convolvulaceae; Cuscutae Semen] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Cuscutae Semen includes Cuscuta chinensis Lam. and Cuscuta australis R.Br.), Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. [15 g; Asteraceae; Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma]	In vivo	RCT	Normal menstrual cycle recovery rate ↑ ovulation ↑ FBG ↓ TC ↓ TG ↓ LDL-C ↓ TNF-α ↓ IL-6 ↓ IL-1 ↓	Metformin + Diane-35/Metformin + Diane-35 + JHWD	Herbs were boiled in water for 30 min and condensed into 300 mL decoction	Shi et al. (2022)
Xiao Yao San	Full specific composition not specified	In vivo	Meta-analysis of RCTs	Ovulation rate ↑ Pregnancy rate ↑	conventional medicine (Metformin, Letrozole, Menotrophin, Tamoxifen, HCG, HMG, Ethinylestradiol, Cyproterone)/conventional medicine + XYS	The specific extraction method was not specified	Zhou et al. (2023)
Zishen Yutai pills	Cuscuta sp. [Convolvulaceae; Cuscutae Semen] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Cuscutae Semen includes Cuscuta chinensis Lam. and Cuscuta australis R.Br.), Amomi sp. [Zingiberaceae; Amomi fructus] (the specific species was not specified in the original study; according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Amomi fructus includes Amomum villosum Lour., Amomum villosum Lour. var. xanthioides T. L. Wu et Senjen and Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu.), Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. [Scrophulariaceae; Rehmanniae radix], Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. [Araliaceae; Ginseng radix et rhizoma], Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Danser [Loranthaceae; Taxilli herba], Equus asinus Linnaeus [Equidae; Asini Corii Colla], Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. [Polygonaceae; Polygoni multiflori radix], Artemisia argyi Levl. et Van. [Asteraceae; Artemisiae argyi folium], Morinda officinalis How [Rubiaceae; Morindae officinalis radix], Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. [Asteraceae; Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma], Codonopsis sp. [Campanulaceae; Codonopsis radix] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Codonopsis radix includes Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen and Codonopsis tangshen Oliv.), Cervus sp. [Cervidae; Cervi cornus] (The specific species was not specified in the original study.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the medicinal Cervi cornus includes Cervus elaphus Linnaeus and Cervus nippon Temminck.), Lycium barbarum L. [Solanaceae; Lycii Barbari Fructus], Dipsacus asperoides C. Y. Cheng et T. M. Ai. [Dipsacaceae; RADIX DIPSACI], Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. [Eucommiaceae; Eucommiae cortex] The specific dosages (in grams) of the traditional Chinese medicines involved in this study were not clearly indicated in the original data	In vivo	NRCT	BMI↓, FPG↓, FIN↓, HOMA-IR↓, LH↓, T↓, number of obtained eggs↑, number of high-quality embryos↑, clinical pregnancy rate↑, embryo implantation rate↑, abortion rate↓	metformin/ZSYTP/metformin + ZSYTP	The specific extraction method was not specified	Zhang et al. (2024e)