Table 2.

The RCTs of effective CHMRE for PID.

Study ID	Design	Sample size	Interventions	Outcomes	Composition	Limitation
[44]	RCT	184	Control arm: abdominal ultrasound drug delivery therapy Treatment arm: CHM staining therapy combined with CHMRM	Control arm: TFR, 91.95%∗ (88 of 92) Treatment arm: TFR, 97.82% (90 of 92)	CHMRE prescription: common burr reed tuber (San leng), Curcumae rhizome (E zhu), Corydalis tuber (Yan hu suo), Toosendan fruit (Chuan lian zi), Cassia twig (Gui zhi), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), Delavay honeysuckle (Jin yin hua), weeping forsythia capsule (Lian qiao), Poria (Fu ling)	Not mentioned drop-out rate
[45]	RCT	110	Control arm: cefotaxime sodium + metronidazole + fluconazole (mycotic infection)/doxycycline (mycoplasma infection) Treatment arm: combined with enema Chinese prescription on the basis of the control arm	Control arm: TFR, 61.82%∗ (34 of 55) Treatment arm: TFR, 90.91% (34 of 55)	Enema Chinese prescription: Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), Salvia (Dan shen), Tokyo violet (Zi hua di ding), dandelion (Pu gong ying), Toosendan fruit (Chuan lian zi), heartleaf houttuynia (Yu xing cao), red peony (Chi shao) Modifications: Abdominal distention: Semen Vaccariae (Wang bu liu xing), Liquidambar formosana Hance (Lu lu tong) Cold-damp constraining: combined spicebush root (Wu yao), Poria (Fu ling), Cassia twig (Gui zhi)	Not mentioned blindness and drop-out rate
[47]	RCT	90	Control arm: levofloxacin + ornidazole Treatment arm: self-made Gynecological Anti-Inflammatory No. 1 Decoction on the basis of the control arm	Control arm: TFR, 75.56%∗ (34 of 45) Treatment arm: TFR, 93.33% (42 of 45)	Self-made Gynecological Anti-Inflammatory No.1 Decoction: Delavay honeysuckle (Jin yin hua), dandelion (Pu gong ying), weeping forsythia capsule (Lian qiao), Oldenlandia (Bai hua she she cao), Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), heartleaf houttuynia (Yu xing cao), Sargent gloryvine stem (Da xue teng), red peony (Chi shao), Moutan (Mu dan pi), cinnamon bark (Rou gui), green tangerine peer (Qing pi), Morinda root (Ba ji tian), white Atractylodes rhizome (Bai zhu), citrus (Chen pi), Coix seed (Yi yi ren), Poria (Fu ling)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size
[48]	RCT	78	Control arm: levofloxacin + ornidazole Treatment arm: self-made pelvic inflammation decoction (oral and retention enema)	Control arm: TFR, 79.49%∗ (31 of 39) Treatment arm: TFR, 92.31% (36 of 39)	Self-made pelvic inflammation decoction: Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), white Atractylodes rhizome (Bai zhu), Euryale seed (Qian shi), common yam rhizome (Huai shan), Dragon bones (Long gu), Concha Ostreae (Mu li), Radix Pulsatillae (Bai tou weng), Haematitum (Dai zhe shi), Dodder seed (Tu si zi), heartleaf houttuynia (Yu xing cao), dandelion (Pu gong ying), Angelica root (Bai zhi), cuttlebone (Hai piao xiao), Radix et Rhizoma Rubiae (Qian cao), Semen Plantaginis (Che qian zi), Semen Ginkgo (Bai guo), Amur cork-tree bark (Huang bai)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size
[49]	Case-control study	70	Control arm: Oral Xiaoyan Decoction Treatment arm: Xiaoyan Decoction (oral and retention enema)	Control arm: TFR, 80.00%∗ (28 of 35) Treatment arm: TFR, 97.14% (34 of 35)	Xiaoyan Decoction: Cyperus (Xiang fu), Radix Bupleuri (Cai hu), Ligusticum wallichii (Chuan xiong), red peony (Chi shao), Angelica sinensis (Dang gui), Corydalis tuber (Yan hu suo), Rhizoma Cibotii (Gou ji), Psoralea (Bu gu zhi), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), Dandelion (Pu gong ying), white Atractylodes rhizome (Bai zhu), Semen Euryales (Qian shi), fresh ginger (Sheng jiang)	Not mentioned blindness, drop-out rate, and small sample size
[51]	RCT	92	Control arm: tubal hydrotubation Treatment arm: pelvic inflammation recipe (oral and retention enema)	Control arm: TFR, 80.43∗ (37 of 46) Treatment arm: TFR, 95.65% (44 of 46)	Pelvic inflammation recipe: Liquidambar formosana Hance (Lu lu tong), red peony (Chi shao), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), Caulis Lonicerae Japonicae (Ren dong teng), Tokyo violet (Zi hua di ding), lychee seed (Li zhi he)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size
[53]	RCT	50	Control arm: laparoscopic surgery Treatment arm: combined with Pen Yan Qing on the basis of the control arm	Control arm: TFR, 52% ∗ (13 of 25) Treatment arm: TFR, 84% (21 of 25)	Pen Yan Qing: Danshen root (Dan shen), common burr reed tuber (San leng), Curcumae rhizome (E zhu), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng) (because the drug is applied for a new drug, the full prescription is not disclosed)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size
[54]	RCT	86	Control arm: antibiotic Treatment arm: combined with CHMRE on the basis of the control arm	Control arm: PR, 41.8% ∗ treatment arm: PR, 62.7%	CHMRE: Delavay honeysuckle (Jin yin hua), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), weeping forsythia capsule (Lian qiao), Chinese honeylocust spine (Zao jiao ci), Patrinia (Bai jiang cao), Amur cork-tree bark (Huang bai), Moutan (Mu dan pi), Frankincense (Ru xiang), Myrrh (Mo yao), Curcumae rhizome (E zhu), Corydalis tuber (Yan hu suo)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size
[55]	RCT	74	Control arm: ceftizoxime sodium/levofloxacin lactate + ornidazole Treatment arm: combined with CHMRE on the basis of the control arm	Control arm: TFR, 75.68%∗ (28 of 37) Treatment arm: TFR, 94.59% (35 of 37)	CHMRE: Radix et Rhizoma Cynanchi Paniculata (Xu chang qing), Chinese honeylocust spine (Zao jiao ci), Sargentodoxa cuneata (Hong teng), Dandelion (Pu gong ying), Delavay honeysuckle (Jin yin hua), Herba Patriniae (Bai jiang cao), Danshen root (Dan shen), Radix Scutellariae (Huang qin)	Not mentioned drop-out rate and small sample size

Note. RCT: randomized clinical trial; TFR: total effective rate; RR: recurrence rate, PR: pregnancy rate. ^∗P < 0.05 versus treatment arm.