Highlights
- •Gan Mai Da Zao (GMDZ) decoction is one of the most famous Chinese herbal medicine for depression.
- •One recent systematic review of GMDZ decoction suggested that GMDZ might be beneficial as anti-depressants. However, this review analysis inappropriate and the information was not complete.
- •Thirteen RCTs met our inclusion criteria. All of the included RCTs had a high risk of bias across their domains.
- •Our systematic review and meta-analysis failed to provide suggestive evidence of the superiority of GMDZ decoction over anti-depressant therapies for major depression, post-surgical depression, and elderly depression except stroke depression.
Abstract
The objective of this review was to analyze the trial data on the efficacy and safety
of Gan Mai Da Zao (GMDZ) decoction for depression. PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and
EMBASE, AMED, Korea Med, DBPIA, OASIS, RISS, KISS, CNKI, Wan Fang Database, and VIP
were searched through to May 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing GMDZ
decoction for any type of depression were considered. All RCTs of GMDZ decoction or
modified GMDZ decoction were included. Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers.
Meta-analysis was used for the pooled data. A total of 298 potentially relevant studies
were identified, and 13 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. All of the included RCTs
had a high risk of bias across their domains. Three RCTs failed to show favorable
effects of GMDZ decoction on response rate or HAMD score in major depression. One
RCT showed a beneficial effect of GMDZ decoction on response rate in post-surgical
depression, while another failed to do so. Two studies showed favorable effects on
response rate in post-stroke depression, while another two failed to do so. A meta-analysis,
however, showed that GMDZ decoction produced better response rates than anti-depressants
in post-stroke depression (RR: 1.17, I2 = 15%). One trial failed to show any beneficial effects of GMDZ decoction on response
rate or HAMD score in depression in an elderly sample. Two trials tested GMDZ decoction
in combination with anti-depressants but failed to show effects on response rate in
major depression, while another did show beneficial effects on response rate in post-stroke
depression. In summary, our systematic review and meta-analysis failed to provide
evidence of the superiority of GMDZ decoction over anti-depressant therapies for major
depression, post-surgical depression, or depression in the elderly, although there
was evidence of an effect in post-stroke depression. The quality of evidence for this
finding was low, however, because of a high risk of bias.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to MaturitasAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The use of complementary and alternative therapies to treat anxiety and depression in the United States.Am J Psychiatry. 2001; 158: 289-294
- Depression. 2012;
- Depression after traumatic brain injury: A National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Model Systems multicenter investigation.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2003; 84: 177-184
- Understanding the somatic consequences of depression: biological mechanisms and the role of depression symptom profile.BMC Med. 2013; 11: 129
- Ment Health Depress Eur. 2012;
- Cost of depression in Europe.J Ment Health Policy Econ. 2006; 9: 87-98
- SSRI antidepressant medications: adverse effects and tolerability.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2001; 3: 22
- The progress of antidepressant drug.Med Pecapitulate. 2011; 17: 3770-3780
- Complementary therapies for depression: an overview.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998; 55: 1026-1032
- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): Considerations for the treatment of major depressive disorder.J Clin Psychiatry. 2009; 70: 4-6
- A review of clinical studies with herbal medicine for depression – based on randomized controlled clinical trial.J Orient Neuropsychiatry. 2011; 22: 31-39
- Clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with analysis and evaluation system of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of depression.Chin J Basic Med TCM. 2013; 19 (349): 331-333
- Chinese herbal formula xiao yao san for treatment of depression: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Evid Based Complement Altern Med. 2012; 2012: 931636
- Chinese-English synopsis of prescription of the Golden Chamber.Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing Company, Shanghai, China2003
- Discussion on the selection of “wheat” in ganmai dazao decoction.Chin J Med. 2012; 27: 993-994
- Well known formula ganmai date decoction in ‘Golden Synopsis’.J Zhejiang Univ TCM. 2011; 35: 305-307
- Effects of ganmei dazao decoction on behaviors and monoamine neuro-transmitters in rat model of depression.Pharmacol Clin Chin Mater Med. 2003; 19: 5-6
- The inhibitory effect of gan mai da zao tang (gmdzt) on the central nervous systems.Pharmacol Clin Chin Mater Med. 1994; : 9-11
- Protective effect of gan mai da zao decoction in unpredictable chronic mild stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations.Pharm Biol. 2010; 48: 1328-1336
- A meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine formula ganmai dazao decoction for depression.J Ethnopharmacol. 2014; 153: 309-317
- Herbal medicine (gan mai da zao decoction) for depression: a systematic review protocol.BMJ Open. 2014; 4: e003690
- Ganmai dazao decoction for depression: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.PROSPERO. 2013; (CRD42013005100, Available from: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/NIHR_PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42013005100#.U5V-6xWKCUk)
- Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the prisma statement.Ann Intern Med. 2009; 151: 264-269
- Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC1994
- The Chinese classification of mental disorders [ccmd-3].Shandong Publishing House of Science and Technology, Shandong, China2001
- A rating scale for depression.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960; 23: 56-62
- Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011).The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011
- Effect of modified ganmai dazao decoction and anti-depressant: clinical observation.Chin J Clin. 2002; 30: 18-19
- Modified ganmai dazao decoction” clinical study on the treatment of 32 cases of depression.Jiangsu J TCM. 2011; 43: 24-25
- A clinical study of the efficacy modified ganmai dazao decoction in treatment of depression.J Clin Chin Med. 2012; 24: 731-733
- Ganmai dazao decoction combined with clomipramine in the treatment of depression: clinical observation.Lishizhen Mater Med Res. 2006; 17: 2026-2027
- The clinical observation of ganmai dazao decoction in the treatment of depression.Guide Chin Med. 2010; 8: 277-278
- 32 cases of depression intervention supplemented ganmai dazao decoction in the treatment of coronary heart disease.Zhejiang J TCM. 2008; 43: 88-89
- Clinical observation on 30 cases of ganmai dazao decoction in the treatment of malignant tumor complicated with depression.Jiangsu J TCM. 2008; 40: 44-45
- Clinical observation on the treatment of 60 case of post stroke depression with combination of TCM and western medicine.Sichuan J TCM. 2012; 30: 71-72
- Ganmai dazao decoction in clinical observation on treatment of 30 cases of post stroke depression.Sichuan J TCM. 2009; 27: 75-76
- A clinical study of the efficacy ganmai dazao tang in treatment of post-stroke depression.Liaoning J TCM. 2008; 35: 384-385
- Clinical observation of ganmai dazao decoction in treating 38 cases of depression after stroke.Sichuan J Med. 2009; 30: 709-710
- Clinical observation on the treatment of 30 cases of post stroke depression with combination of TCM and western medicine.Chin Med Herald. 2010; 7: 90-91
- A clinical study of 32 cases of modified ganamai dazao decoction in treatment of elderly with depression.Henan J TCM. 2012; 32: 734-735
- Do certain countries produce only positive results? A systematic review of controlled trials.Control Clin Trials. 1998; 19: 159-166
- Strengths and weaknesses of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in the eyes of some Hong Kong Chinese.J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001; 55: 762-765
- Consort 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials.BMC Med. 2010; 8: 18
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 03, 2014
Accepted:
August 12,
2014
Received in revised form:
August 11,
2014
Received:
August 7,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
