Chinese herbal medicine banxiaxiexin decoction treating diabetic gastroparesis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objective. To assess the current clinical evidence of Banxiaxiexin decoction for diabetic gastroparesis (DGP). Methods. Electronic databases were searched until December 2012. No language limitations were applied. We included RCTs using Banxiaxiexin decoction/modified Banxiaxiexin decoction for DGP. No restriction for the control group except acupuncture. Applying clinical effective rate as the main outcome index. Data extraction, analyses and quality assessment were conducted according to the Cochrane review standards. Results. 16 RCTs involving 1302 patients were finally identified, and the methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. The data showed that the effect of Banxiaxiexin decoction (BXXD) for DGP was superior to the control group (n = 1302, RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.29, Z = 8.04, P < 0.00001). Only one trial recorded adverse events, no obvious adverse event occurred. Conclusions. Banxiaxiexin decoction could regain the gastric emptying rate and improve diabetic gastrointestinal symptoms. However, the methodological quality of included studies is low, and long term efficacy and safety are still uncertain, which indicates that the findings above should be read with caution. Thereby, well-designed, large-scale, and high-quality randomized controlled clinical trials with scientific rigor are warranted for stronger evidence in future research.