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Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Shugan Jieyu Capsules for the Treatment of Insomnia
Published on: February 17, 2023
Efficacy of the triple-combination SM-1 in a 5-h phase advance transient insomnia model
Thomas Dahl1,2, Gary Zammit3, Maha Ahmad3
1Sequential Medicine Ltd, 6F, No. 135, Sec. 3, Minsheng East Rd, Taipei, 10546 Taiwan.
Abstract:
Thomas Dahl, PO Box 404, Guilford, CT 06437 USA. Email: tadahl@outlook.com. The objectives of the study were to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of SM-1 in a circadian challenge model of transient insomnia. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study utilizing a 5-h phase advance model of transient insomnia. Subjects were 85 healthy adults reporting a history of transient insomnia, with an average age of 38.9 years. Both SM-1 and placebo were administered to all subjects in a randomly assigned sequence, with at least 1 week between treatments. The primary endpoint was total sleep time determined by polysomnography. Secondary endpoints included wakefulness after sleep onset, latency to persistent sleep, number of awakenings, subjective total sleep time and subjective sleep onset latency, total sleep time by quarters of the night, subjective number of awakenings, and sleep quality. Safety endpoints included adverse events, Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, and predischarge evaluation (tandem gait and Romberg tests). SM-1 provided an increase of 94.4 min in total sleep time over placebo (p < 0.0001). Wakefulness after sleep onset, subjective total sleep time, subjective sleep onset latency, and total sleep time in the first quarter of the night also showed significant improvement. SM-1 was well-tolerated with both type and frequency of adverse events being comparable to placebo, and no residual sleepiness upon awakening (i.e., after 8 h). SM-1 provided a robust and statistically significant increase in total sleep time compared to placebo in a circadian model of transient insomnia, without evidence of next-day impairment.
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