Herbal medicine for post-stroke anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of herbal medicine (HM) for post-stroke anxiety (PSA). Through comprehensive searches, twenty randomized controlled trials were included. Meta-analysis showed that compared to the HM group, the conventional pharmacotherapy group showed significantly lower Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAMA) score after 1 week of treatment, but not after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of treatment, and higher HAMA score after 8 weeks and 3 months of treatment. Meanwhile, compared to the conventional pharmacotherapy alone group, the HM plus conventional pharmacotherapy group showed significantly better results in HAMA score after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment. HM group was associated with lower incidence of adverse events. Current evidence suggests that HM or HM plus conventional pharmacotherapy may be safe and effective in PSA patients within a certain time period. However, due to limited strength of evidence, definite conclusions are not possible.