Shen 2007.

Methods	Study design: open RCT Study duration: 4 weeks Follow‐up: 3 months
Participants	Country: China Setting: Shanghai Hospital of TCM; outpatients Number: treatment group (52); control group (52) Mean age (years): treatment group (65); control group (67) Sex: female Mean duration of disease (years): treatment group (6.3); control group (5.8)
Interventions	Treatment group Bai Tou Weng Tang and Er Xian Tang which comprised: Anemone chinensis Bunge (Bai Tou Weng) 15 g, Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (Huang Bai) 15 g, Coptis chinensis Franch. (Huang Lian) 6 g, Fraxinus chinensis subsp. rhynchophylla (Hance) A.E.Murray (Qin Pi) 12 g, Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Zhi Mu) 15 g, Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. (Xian Mao) 6 g, Epimedium grandiflorum var. thunbergianum (Miq.) Nakai (Xian Ling Pi) 6 g, Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Dang Gui) 9 g, Morinda officinalis F.C.How (Ba Ji Tian) 9 g. If participants reported urgency, frequency and pain then Taraxacum mongolicum Hand‐Mazz. (Pu Gong Ying) 15 g, Herba Plantago asiatica L. (Che Qian Cao) 15 g and Herba Scutellaria barbata D.Don (Ban Zhi Lian) 15 g were added 150 mL of this decoction was taken twice daily for 4 weeks Control Ofloxacin capsule 0.2 g twice daily. If not effective, different antibiotics that had been chosen after testing to ensure microbial sensitivity were used. Treatment was for 4 weeks
Outcomes	Effective treatment at 4 weeks Recurrence at 3 months
Notes	Funding source not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	A random numbers table was used. Baseline equivalence was established between groups
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not reported
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	It was not possible to blind participants because of the physical differences between a decoction and a pill
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	No dropouts or losses to follow‐up
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Study protocol was unavailable
Other bias	Unclear risk	No power calculation was performed to determine the required sample size to adequately power the study to detect type 1 and type 2 errors Outcomes were not internationally validated or available for review in the study report Participant preference bias could exist with regard to whether they wanted to take herbs or antibiotics. This was not assessed Funding source not reported