Clinical treatment of depressive patients with anshendingzhi decoction

To determine the effects of Anshendingzhi decoction (ASDZD) on depression, to compare ASDZD with Danzhixiaoyao pill (DZXYP), and to provide evidence for the clinical treatment of depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Seventy-eight patients with depression were enrolled from 2011 to 2013 in this double-blinded study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: ASDZD (treatment group, n = 39) and DZXYP (control group, n = 39). Hamilton Depressive Scale and TCM Syndrome Differentiation Scale were used to assess depression and efficacy before treatment and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment. The Treatment Emergent Symptoms Scale (TESS) was used to evaluate adverse reactions, observe, and record treatment outcomes.

ASDZD was significantly more effective than DZXYP. There were significant differences between the two groups in terms of recovered patients, overall response rate, and TESS score (all P < 0.05).

ASDZD is an effective treatment for depression. ASDZD could improve clinical symptoms and warrants further clinical research and application.