Xu, Y., Chen, Y., Li, P., & Wang, X.S. (2015). Ren Shen Yangrong Tang for fatigue in cancer survivors: A phase I/II open-label study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21, 281–287.
To establish the safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of fatigue in patients with cancer who do not have anemia
Patients were recruited from those who visited a herbal medicine clinic. Patients were given a combination of 12 herbs, which they slowly cooked in 150 ml of water. This decoction was taken twice daily for six weeks. Study measures were obtained at baseline and after six weeks. Patients were evaluated by a traditional Chinese medicine doctor at the beginning and end of the study.
Open-label phase I–II
Fatigue levels declined during the study (p = 0.024), and 64% of patients said they felt better within two weeks, and 33% felt better after three weeks. No adverse events were reported.
The findings of this study suggest that that a traditional Chinese herbal medicine formulation appears to be safe and may be helpful in the treatment of depression among patients with cancer.
This study was limited by design and sample size, so no firm conclusions about the safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese herbal medicine can be made.