Table 1.
Characteristics of included randomized controlled trials.
| Study | Sample size (T/C) | Disease stage | Intervention |
Outcomes | Effect size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Control | |||||
| Ding et al. [37] | 51/49 | All | Oral intake of QF decoction modified based on individual needs, bid for 10 d, plus SC | SC (antivirals and antibiotics) | ① Number of participants with improvement of symptoms | ① Fever: RR 1.12 (1.00, 1.25), P = 0.051; cough: RR 1.36 (1.09, 1.70), P = 0.006; dyspnea: RR 2.20 (1.11, 4.39), P = 0.024 |
| ② Inflammatory markers | ② ESR: MD −41.60 (−46.02, −37.18), P < 0.01; CRP: MD −32.32 (−36.88, −27.76), P = 0.019; IL-6: MD −17.60 (−32.74, −2.46), P = 0.023; TNF-α: MD −6.86 (−9.46, −4.26), P = 0.000; TNF-γ: MD −0.40 (−11.53, 10.73), P = 0.943 | |||||
| ③ CT findings | ③ RR 1.46 (0.99, 2.15), P = 0.053. | |||||
| ④ Adverse events | ④ OR 0.96 (0.26, 3.53), P = 0.946. | |||||
| Duan et al. [38] | 82/41 | Mild | Oral intake of JQ granules, 15 g tid for 5 d, plus SC | SC (antivirals or antibiotics) | ① Number of participants with improvement of symptoms | ① Fever: RR 1.51 (1.07, 2.14), P = 0.019; cough: RR 3.09 (1.49, 6.41), P = 0.002; fatigue: RR 1.44 (0.98, 2.11), P = 0.060 |
| ② CM symptoms and signs score | ② MD −1.37 (−2.54, −0.20), P = 0.041 | |||||
| ③ Number of hospitalized | ③ OR 0.38 (0.14, 1.03), P = 0.057 | |||||
| ④ Hamilton anxiety scale | ④ MD −2.42 (−4.09, −0.75), P = 0.005 | |||||
| ⑤ Service satisfactory score | ⑤ MD −0.27 (−0.96, 0.42), P = 0.443 | |||||
| ⑥ Adverse events | ⑥ OR 41.13 (2.44, 693.89), P = 0.09 | |||||
| Fu et al. [39] | 32/33 | Mild and ordinary | Oral intake of TJ granules, bid for 10 d (did not state dose), plus SC | SC (arbidol 0.2, tid; ambroxol 30 mg, tid, 10 d) | ① Effectiveness rate | ① RR 15.47 (4.03, 59.44), P = 0.000 |
| ② CM symptoms and signs score | ② Fever: MD −0.80 (−0.95, −0.65), P = 0.000; cough: MD −0.63 (−0.80, −0.46), P = 0.000; fatigue: MD −0.34 (−0.45, −0.23), P = 0.000 | |||||
| ③ Inflammatory markers | ③ WBC: MD 0.36 (0.20, 0.52), P = 0.000; LYM count (109/L): MD 0.26 (0.20, 0.32), P = 0.000; LYM%: MD 5.18% (4.11%, 6.25%), P = 0.000; NEU%: MD −4.58% (−5.81%, −3.35%), P = 0.000; CPR: MD −9.11 (−11.52, −6.70), P = 0.000; PCT: MD −0.02 (−0.02, −0.01), P = 0.000; D-dimer (µg/L): MD −42.50 (−84.55, −0.45), P = 0.052 | |||||
| ④ CT findings | ④ RR 1.30 (0.97, 1.74), P = 0.075 | |||||
| ⑤ Rate of conversion of severe cases | ⑤ OR 0.32 (0.03, 3.28), P = 0.338 | |||||
| Fu et al. [40] | 37/36 | Ordinary | Oral intake of TJ granules, bid for 15 d (did not state dose) plus SC | SC (arbidol 0.2, tid, 10 d; ambroxol 30 mg, tid, 15 d) | ① Effectiveness rate | ① RR 1.28 (1.01, 1.64), P = 0.044 |
| ② CM symptoms and signs score | ② Fever: MD −0.50 (−0.72, −0.28), P = 0.000; cough: MD −1.03 (−1.20, −0.86), P = 0.000; fatigue: MD −1.14 (−1.27, −1.01), P = 0.000; dyspnea: MD −0.18 (−0.37, 0.01), P = 0.06. | |||||
| ③ Inflammatory markers | ③ WBC: MD 0.26 (0.09, 0.43), P = 0.003; LYM count (109/L): MD 0.45 (0.39, 0.51), P = 0.000; LYM%: MD 3.18% (2.17%, 4.19%), P = 0.000; CPR: MD −8.11 (−10.41, −5.81), P = 0.000; CD4+/CD8+: MD 0.88 (0.79, 0.97), P = 0.000 | |||||
| ④ Hospital discharge rate | ④ RR 1.42 (0.76, 2.62), P = 0.268 | |||||
| Hu et al. [42] | 142/142 | Not reported | LH capsule, 4 capsules bid, for 14 d plus SC | SC (antivirals, antibiotics, immune modulators, systemic corticosteroids) | ① Rate of symptoms recovery at day 14 | ① RR 1.11 (1.01, 1.22), P = 0.023 |
| ② Time to symptom recovery | ② HR 1.7 (1.3–2.2), P < 0.010 | |||||
| ③ Rate of clinical recovery | ③ RR 1.19 (1.03, 1.38), P = 0.018 | |||||
| ④ Rate of recovery of CT | ④ RR 1.31 (1.13, 1.51), P = 0.000 | |||||
| ⑤ Conversion rate of viral assay | ⑤ RR 1.08 (0.94, 1.24), P = 0.280 | |||||
| ⑥ Rate of conversion of severe cases | ⑥ OR 0.49 (0.12, 2.00), P = 0.318 | |||||
| ⑦ Adverse events | ⑦ OR 0.71 (0.45, 1.14), P = 0.154 | |||||
| Ye et al. [43] | 28/14 | Severe | Oral intake of CHM formulae (MX or SFT decoction), 200 mL, bid for 7 d plus SC | SC (antivirals, antibiotics, immune modulators, systemic corticosteroids) | ① COVID-19 severity scale (number of death at day 3) | ① OR 0.48 (0.03, 8.32), P = 0.615 |
| ② Overall survival rate on day 14 | ② RR 1.04 (0.88, 1.22), P = 0.647 | |||||
| ③ Proportion of participants with no improvement at day 7 | ③ OR 3.56 (0.50, 25.56), P = 0.206 | |||||
| ④ Inflammatory markers at day 7 | ④ WBC: MD 1.79 (−0.27 to 4.08), P = 0.104; LYM (109/L): MD −0.07 (−0.53 to 0.27), P = 0.696; NEU (109/L): MD 1.38 (−0.56 to 3.33), P = 0.167; ESR: MD −12.45 (−29.3, 13.2), P = 0.308; PCT: MD 0 (0.00, 0.03), P = 0.322; CRP: MD −1.63 (−6.62, 1.30), P = 0.329; HSCRP: MD −0.19 (−0.19, 146.7), P = 0.755 | |||||
| ⑤ Number of antibiotic use | ⑤ OR 1.84 (0.41, 8.33), P = 0.428 | |||||
| Zhang et al. [41] | 22/23 | Ordinary | Oral intake of JW granules, tid for 7 d (did not state dose), plus SC | SC (did not state details) | ① Number of day with improvement of symptoms and signs | ① Fever: MD −2.52 (−3.30, −1.74), P = 0.000; dry cough: MD −1.89 (−2.62, −1.16), P = 0.000; dyspnea: MD −2.48 (−3.10, −1.86), P = 0.000; fatigue: MD −2.35 (−2.91, −1.79), P = 0.000 |
| ② Inflammatory markers | ② WBC: MD −0.25 (−1.85, 1.35), P = 0.761; LYM%: MD 14.90% (10.43%, 19.37%), P = 0.000; CRP: MD −6.88 (−8.05, −5.71), P = 0.000 | |||||
| ③ CT findings | ③ RR 2.51 (1.06, 5.95), P = 0.036 | |||||
These seven included studies are all open-label parallel RCTs with participants aged above 18 years. Fu et al. published two reports in different journals. Continuous data in Ye et al. were expressed as median and interquartile range. It was assumed that the effect estimates between groups were presented as MD with 95% confidence interval. bid: twice a day; CHM: Chinese herbal medicine; CM: Chinese medicine; CRP: C-reactive protein (mg/L); CT: computerized tomography; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/H); HR: hazard ratio; HSCRP: high-sensitivity CRP (mg/L); IL-6: interleukin 6 (pg/mL); JQ: Jinhua Qinggan granules; JW: Jiaweidayuan granules; LH: Lianhuaqingwen capsule; LYM: lymphocytes; MD: mean difference; MX: Maxinshigan-dayuanyin decoction; NE: not estimable (where no event occurred in both groups); NEU: neutrophils; OR: odds ratio; PCT: procalcitonin (ng/L); QF: Qingfeitouxiefuzheng decoction; RCT: randomized controlled trial; RR: risk ratio; SC: standard care; SFT: Shengfutang decoction; T/C: treatment group/control group; tid: three times a day; TJ: Toujieqingwen granules; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α (pg/mL); TNF-γ: tumor necrosis factor-γ (pg/mL); WBC: white blood cell (×109/L).