Longdan Xiegan formula as adjuvant therapy for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Longdan Xiegan decoction, a classical formula in traditional Chinese medicine, has been increasingly utilized as an adjunctive therapy for hypertension. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Longdan Xiegan formula in the adjuvant management of hypertension. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in databases including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, EMBase, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library, covering all publications from inception to May 2025. Two reviewers independently carried out study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality evaluation. Eligible for inclusion were randomized controlled trials examining the use of Longdan Xiegan formula in hypertension treatment. Meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.3 software, and evidence quality was assessed according to the Cochrane system. Results: Nine studies were incorporated, involving 782 participants in total. These participants were randomly assigned to test and control groups. Outcome indicators included effective rate, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, heart rate, and traditional Chinese Medicine Symptom Score, etc. Following treatment, the test group showed significantly better indicators than the control group, with all differences being statistically significant ( P < .05). Conclusion: Longdan Xiegan formula demonstrates potential in accelerating symptom alleviation and contributing to the reduction of diverse risk indices in the management of hypertension. Nonetheless, given the scarcity of high quality studies, particularly a dearth of relevant research overseas, subsequent investigations should give precedence to large-sample, double-blind, randomized controlled trials. This will serve to fortify the theoretical framework and yield more compelling evidence for its clinical application.