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. 2019 Mar 5;10:155. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00155

Table 1.

Study characteristics of included systematic reviews.

References No. of primary studies Quality of primary studies Overall conclusion Meta-analysis Outcome measures Quality of review (AMSTAR)
Cui and Liu (2015) 19(1352) Poor …is better than… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [SMD = −7.32, 95%CI(−8.50, −6.13), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.74, P = 0.81, I2 = 0%], UPDRS I [WMD = −0.76, 95%CI(−1.30, −0.23), P = 0.005; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 16.46, P = 0.002, I2 = 76%], UPDRS II [WMD = −3.07, 95%CI(−4.18, −1.97), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 6.06, P = 0.19, I2 = 34%], UPDRS III [WMD = −4.09, 95%CI(−5.05, −3.12), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.52, P = 0.93, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II and UPFRS III [WMD = −7.01, 95%CI(−11.61, −2.41), P = 0.003; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 7.36, P = 0.06, I2 = 59%], UPDRS IV [SMD = −0.63, 95%CI(−1.00, −0.26), P = 0.0009; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 27.05, P = 0.0001, I2 = 78%] UPDRS 7
Huo and Yu (2014) 22(1704) Poor …can relieve…
…maybe superior to…
CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = −1.59, 95%CI(−2.59, −0.59), P = 0.002; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.82, P = 0.42, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II [WMD = −1.08, 95%CI(−1.53, −0.63), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 5.17, P = 0.40, I2 = 3.3%], UPDRS III [WMD = −1.15, 95%CI(−1.69, −0.61), P < 0.0001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 6.04, P = 0.30, I2 = 17.2%] UPDRS
Adverse events
6
Wen et al. (2014) 17(1461) Poor …is safe and effective…
…maybe superior to…
CHM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = 1.41, 95%CI(−0.66, 3.47), P > 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.26, df = 1, I2 = 0%]
CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = 5.95, 95%CI(4.37, 7.42), P < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.16, df = 4, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II [WMD = 2.13, 95%CI(1.62, 2.64), P < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 4.94, df = 5, I2 = 30.7%], UPDRS III [WMD = 1.95, 95%CI(0.81, 2.42), P < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.12, df = 5, I2 = 0%], UPDRS IV [SMD = 0.64, 95%CI(0.32, 0.97), P < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 5.37, df = 4, I2 = 32.8%]
UPDRS
UPDRS
Webster scale
Adverse events
5
Zhang (2015) 18(1504) Poor …is safe and effective…
…maybe superior to…
CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = −4.67, 95%CI(−5.94, −3.40), P < 0.0001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 13.29, P = 0.15, I2 = 32%], UPDRS II [WMD = −1.16, 95%CI(−1.35, −0.98), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 7.16, P = 0.52, I2 = 0%], UPDRS III [WMD = −3.05, 95%CI(−3.48, −2.63), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.26, P = 0.86, I2 = 0%], CHM syndrome integral scale [WMD = −3.04, 95%CI(−3.83, −2.25), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.83, P = 0.24, I2 = 29%] UPDRS
Webster scale
Adverse events
CHM syndrome integral scale
8
Zhang et al. (2014) 10(582) Poor …may be beneficial to… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = −7.35, 95%CI(−11.24, −3.47), P = 0.000; heterogeneity: P = 0.034, I2 = 65.5%] UPDRS
Adverse events
8
Wang et al. (2012) 19(1371) Poor …may potentially alleviate… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = −6.09, 95%CI(−8.08, −4.10), P < 0.001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 4.25, P = 0.89, I2 = 0%], UPDRS I [WMD = −0.33, 95%CI(−0.58, −0.08), P < 0.001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.69, P = 0.45, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II [WMD = −2.18, 95%CI(−3.03, −1.33), P < 0.001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.26, P = 0.92, I2 = 0%], UPDRS III [WMD = −2.35, 95%CI(−4.61, −0.08), P < 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 89.22, P < 0.00001, I2 = 88%], UPDRS IV [WMD = −0.51, 95%CI(−0.83, −0.20), P < 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 5.21, P = 0.52, I2 = 0%] UPDRS
Adverse events
7
Chung et al. (2006) 9(503) Poor …is insufficient to… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: without meta-analysis

CHM vs. CWM: without meta-analysis
UPDRS
Adverse events
UPDRS
PDQ-39
Webster scale
Adverse events
4
Kim et al. (2012) 64(4024) Poor …is no conclusive evidence… CHM vs. placebo: without meta-analysis
CHM vs. CWM: without meta-analysis

CHM+CWM vs. CWM: without meta-analysis
UPDRS
UPDRS
Webster scale
UPDRS
NMSQuest
7
Zhang et al. (2015) 27(2314) Poor …potential superiority of… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = 6.18, 95%CI(5.06, 7.31), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 8.93, P = 0.54, I2 = 0%], UPDRS I [SMD = 0.68, 95%CI(0.38, 0.98), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 21.85, P = 0.009, I2 = 59%], UPDRS II [WMD = 2.41, 95%CI (1.66, 2.62), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 10.98, P = 0.61, I2 = 0%], UPDRS III [WMD = 2.45, 95%CI(2.03, 2.86), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 25.23, P = 0.07, I2 = 37%], UPDRS IV [WMD = 0.32, 95%CI(0.15, 049), P = 0.0002; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 9.78, P = 0.46, I2 = 0%] UPDRS
Adverse events
9
Wei et al. (2017) 11(869) Poor …has potential therapeutic benefits… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [SMD = −0.36, 95%CI (−0.53, −0.20), P < 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.62, P = 0.85, I2 = 0%], UPDRS I [SMD = −0.40, 95%CI(−0.71, −0.09), P = 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.05, P = 0.82, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II [SMD = −0.47, 95%CI (−0.69, −0.25), P < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 1.36, P = 0.85, I2 = 0%], UPDRS III [SMD = −0.35, 95%CI(−0.57, −0.13), P = 0.002; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 1.51, P = 0.83, I2 = 0%], UPDRS IV [SMD = −0.32, 95%CI(−0.60, −0.03), P = 0.03; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.43, P = 0.18, I2 = 42%]; PDQ-39 [SMD = −0.35, 95%CI(−0.59, −0.12), P < 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.12, P = 0.99, I2 = 0%]; CHM syndrome integral scale [SMD = −0.73, 95%CI(−1.05, −0.41), P < 0.05; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.98, P = 0.32, I2 = 0%] UPDRS
PDQ-39
CHM syndrome integral scale
Adverse events
9
Shan et al. (2018) 14(1311) Poor …supported the complementary use of… CHM+CWM vs. CWM: the total score of UPDRS [WMD = −5.43, 95%CI(−8.01, −2.86), P < 0.0001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.59, P = 0.76, I2 = 0%], UPDRS I [WMD = −0.30, 95%CI(−0.54, −0.06), P = 0.02; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.21, P = 0.52, I2 = 0%], UPDRS II [WMD = −2.21, 95%CI(−3.19, −1.22), P < 0.0001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 3.46, P = 0.84, I2 = 0%], UPDRS III [WMD = −3.26, 95%CI(−4.36, −2.16), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 1.88, P = 0.98, I2 = 0%], UPDRS IV [WMD = −0.18, 95%CI(−0.37, −0.01), P = 0.06; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 5.76, P = 0.33, I2 = 13%]; PDQ-39 [WMD = −7.65, 95%CI(−11.46, −3.83), p < 0.0001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.12, P = 0.94, I2 = 0%]; NMSQuest [WMD = −9.19, 95%CI(−13.11, −5.28), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.56, P = 0.45, I2 = 0%]; PDSS [WMD = 10.69, 95%CI(8.86, 12.53), P < 0.00001; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 0.48, P = 0.49, I2 = 0%]
CHM vs. placebo: total UPDRS score (P > 0.05), UPDRS II (P > 0.05), UPDRS III (P > 0.05)
UPDRS
PDQ-39
NMSQuest
PDSS
Adverse events






UPDRS
9

CHM, Chinese herbal medicine; CWM, conventional western medicine; UPDRS, The Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale; PDQ-39, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39; NMSQuest, Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire; PDSS, Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale; SF36, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey; HAM-D, The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.