Appendix 1.

Search strategies

Search terms
Unless otherwise stated, search terms are free text terms; MeSH = Medical subject heading (Medline medical index term); exp = exploded MeSH; the dollar sign ($) or asterisk (*) stand for any character(s); the question mark (?) substitutes one or no characters; ab = abstract; adj = adjacent; ot = original title; pt = publication type; rn = Registry number or Enzyme Commission number; sh = MeSH; ti = title; tw = text word
The Cochrane Library:
#1 MeSH descriptor Diabetes Mellitus explode all trees
#2 (diabet*)
#3 (IDDM or NIDDM or MODY or T1DM or T2DM or T1D or T2D)
#4 (non insulin* depend* or non insulin depend* or non insulin?depend* or non insulin?depend)
#5 (insulin* depend* or insulin?depend*)
#6 (#1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5)
#7 MeSH descriptor Diabetes Insipidus explode all trees
#8 (diabet* insipidus)
#9 (#7 OR #8)
#10 (#6 AND NOT #9)
#11 MeSH descriptor Medicine, Ayurvedic explode all trees
#12 MeSH descriptor Medicine, Traditional explode all trees
#13 (medicine near6 siddha)
#14 (medicine near6 Hindu)
#15 (medicine near6 Indian)
#16 MeSH descriptor Plants, Medicinal explode all trees with qualifier: TU
#17 MeSH descriptor Plant Extracts explode all trees with qualifier: TU
#18 MeSH descriptor Plants explode all trees with qualifier: TU
#19 MeSH descriptor Phytotherapy explode all trees
#20 MeSH descriptor Momordica charantia explode all trees
#21 MeSH descriptor Trigonella explode all trees
#22 (coccinea indica or pancreas tonic* or momordica charantia or Trigonella foenum graecum)
#23 (ayurvedic near6 diet*)
#24 (ayurvedic near6 herb*)
#25 (ayurvedic near6 extract*)
#26 (ayurvedic near6 plant*)
#27 (ayurvedic near6 preparation*)
#28 (ayurvedic near6 supplement*)
#29 (ayurvedic near6 therap*)
#30 (ayurvedic near6 intervention*)
#31 (ayurvedic near6 medicin*)
#32 (ayurvedic near6 drug*)
#33 (plant* near6 extract*)
#34 (plant* near6 therap*)
#35 (plant* near6 intervention*)
#36 (herb* near6 extract*)
#37 (herb* near6 therap*)
#38 (herb* near6 intervention*)
#39 (ethnobotan* or ethno botan* or ethnopharmacolog* or ethno pharmacolog*)
#40 (phytotherap* or phyto therap*)
#41 (#11 OR #12 OR #13 OR #14 OR #15 OR #16 OR #17 OR #18 OR #19 OR #20 OR #21 OR #22 OR #23 OR #24 OR # 25 OR #26 OR #27 OR #28 OR #29 OR #30)
#42 (#31 OR #32 OR #33 OR #34 OR #35 OR #36 OR #37 OR #38 OR #39 OR #40)
#43 (#41 OR #42)
#44 (#10 AND #43)
#45 MeSH descriptor Medicine, Chinese Traditional explode all trees
#46 MeSH descriptor Drugs, Chinese Herbal explode all trees
#47 (Chinese medicin*)
#48 (#45 OR #46 OR #47)
#49 (#44 AND NOT #48)
MEDLINE:
1. exp Medicine, Ayurvedic/
2. *Medicine, Traditional/
3. exp Complementary medicine/tu [Therapeutic use]
4. (medicine adj6 (siddha or Hindu or Indian or traditional)).tw,ot.
5. ((complementary or alternative) adj3 therap*).tw,ot.
6. exp Plants, Medicinal/tu [Therapeutic use]
7. exp Plant Extracts/tu [Therapeutic use]
8. exp Plants/tu [Therapeutic use]
9. exp Ethnobotany/
10. exp Ethnopharmacology/
11. *Phytotherapy/
12. exp Momordica charantia/
13. exp Trigonella/
14. (coccinea indica or pancreas tonic* or momordica charantia or Trigonella foenum greacum).tw,ot.
15. (ayurvedic adj6 (diet* or herb* or extract* or plant* or preparation* or supplement*)).tw,ot.
16. (ayurvedic adj6 (therap* or intervention* or medicin* or drug*)).tw,ot.
17. ((plant* or herb*) adj6 (extract* or therap* or intervention*)).tw,ot.
18. (ethnobotan* or ethno botan* or ethnopharmacolog* or ethno pharmacolog*).tw,ot.
19. (phytotherap* or phyto therap*).tw,ot.
20. or/1-19
21. exp Drugs, Chinese Herbal/ or exp Medicine, Chinese Traditional/
22. (Chinese adj6 herbal medicin*).tw,ot.
23. 21 or 22
24. 20 not 23
25. exp Diabetes Mellitus/
26. diabet$.tw,ot.
27. (IDDM or NIDDM or MODY or T1DM or T2DM or T1D or T2D).tw,ot.
28. (non insulin$ depend$ or non insulin$ depend$ or non insulin?depend$ or non insulin?depend$).tw,ot.
29. (insulin$ depend$ or insulin?depend$).tw,ot.
30. or/25-29
31. exp Diabetes Insipidus/
32. diabet$ insipidus.tw,ot.
33. 31 or 32
34. 30 not 33
35. randomised controlled trial.pt.
36. controlled clinical trial.pt.
37. randomi?ed.ab.
38. placebo.ab.
39. clinical trials as topic.sh.
40. randomly.ab.
41. trial.ti.
42. or/35-41
43. Meta-analysis.pt.
44. exp Technology Assessment, Biomedical/
45. exp Meta-analysis/
46. exp Meta-analysis as topic/
47. hta.tw,ot.
48. (health technology adj6 assessment$).tw,ot.
49. (meta analy$ or metaanaly$ or meta?analy$).tw,ot.
50. ((review$ or search$) adj10 (literature$ or medical database$ or MEDLINE or PubMed or EMBASE or Cochrane or CINAHL or psycinfo or psyclit or healthstar or biosis or current content$ or systemat$)).tw,ot.
51. or/43-50
52. (comment or editorial or historical-article).pt.
53. 51 not 52
54. 42 or 53
55. 24 and 34 and 54
56. (animals not (animals and humans)).sh.
57. 55 not 56
EMBASE:
1. exp Ayurveda/
2. *traditional medicine/
3. *alternative medicine/
4. (medicin* adj6 (siddha or Hindu or Indian)).tw,ot.
5. *medicinal plant/
6. *plant extract/
7. exp ethnopharmacology/ or exp ethnobotany/
8. exp phytotherapy/
9. exp Momordica charantia/ or exp Momordica charantia extract/
10. exp fenugreek/
11. ayurvedic drug/ or exp coccinea indica/ or exp Trigonella foenum graecum extract/ or exp Trigonella foenum graecum extract/
12. (coccinea indica or pancreas tonic* or momordica charantia or Trigonella foenum graecum).tw,ot.
13. (ayurvedic adj6 (diet* or herb* or extract* or plant* or preparation* or supplement*)).tw,ot.
14. (ayurvedic adj6 (therap* or intervention* or medicine* or drug*)).tw,ot.
15. ((plant* or herb*) adj6 (extract* or therap* or intervention*)).tw,ot.
16. (ethnobotan* or ethno botan* or ethnopharmacolog* or ethno pharmacolog*).tw,ot.
17. (phytotherap* or phyto therap*).tw,ot.
18. or/1-17
19. exp Chinese herb/ or exp Chinese drug/ or exp Chinese medicine/
20. (Chinese adj2 (herbal and medicin*)).tw,ot.
21. 19 or 20
22. 18 not 21
23. exp Diabetes Mellitus/
24. diabet$.tw,ot.
25. (non insulin* depend* or non insulin* depend* or non insulin?depend* or non insulin?depend*).tw,ot.
26. (insulin* depend* or insulin?depend*).tw,ot.
27. (IDDM or NIDDM or MODY or T1DM or T2DM or T1d or T2D).tw,ot.
28. or/23-27
29. exp Diabetes Insipidus/
30. diabet* insipidus.tw,ot.
31. 29 or 30
32. 28 not 31
33. exp Randomized Controlled Trial/
34. exp Controlled Clinical Trial/
35. exp Clinical Trial/
36. exp Comparative Study/
37. exp Drug comparison/
38. exp Randomization/
39. exp Crossover procedure/
40. exp Double blind procedure/
41. exp Single blind procedure/
42. exp Placebo/
43. exp Prospective Study/
44. ((clinical or control$ or comparativ$ or placebo$ or prospectiv$ or randomi?ed) adj3 (trial$ or stud$)).ab,ti.
45. (random$ adj6 (allocat$ or assign$ or basis or order$)).ab,ti.
46. ((singl$ or doubl$ or trebl$ or tripl$) adj6 (blind$ or mask$)).ab,ti.
47. (cross over or crossover).ab,ti.
48. or/33-47
49. exp meta analysis/
50. (metaanaly$ or meta analy$ or meta?analy$).ab,ti,ot.
51. ((review$ or search$) adj10 (literature$ or medical database$ or MEDLINE or PubMed or EMBASE or Cochrane or CINAHL or psycinfo or psyclit or healthstar or biosis or current content$ or systematic$)).ab,ti,ot.
52. exp Literature/
53. exp Biomedical Technology Assessment/
54. hta.tw,ot.
55. (health technology adj6 assessment$).tw,ot.
56. or/49-55
57. (comment or editorial or historical-article).pt.
58. 56 not 57
59. 48 or 58
60. 22 and 32 and 59
61. limit 60 to human
AMED:
1. exp clinical trials/
2. exp randomised controlled trials/
3. exp double-blind method/ or
4. exp random allocation/
5. randomised controlled trial.pt.
6. clinical trial.pt.
7. controlled clinical trial.pt.
8. clinic$ adj4 trial$).mp. or
9. (random$ adj5 (assign$ or allocat$ or assort$)).mp.
10. (randomi$ adj5 control$ adj5 trial$).mp.
11. (crossover or cross-over).mp.
12.((singl$ or doubl$ or trebl$ or tripl$) adj (blind$ or mask$)).mp.)
13. OR/1-12
14. exp Diabetes Mellitus/
15 13 AND 14
16. (ayrved$.mp. or ayurved$.mp. or ayruvedic.mp. or exp medicine ayurvedic/)
17. 15 AND 16
Database of randomized trials from South Asia and OpenSigle:
Ayurved*