SynthesisFrontiers in pharmacology2026
Quantitative analysis of Chinese herbal medicine for post-stroke fatigue: a meta-analysis and medication pattern study.
Synthesis in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a common and distressing condition among stroke survivors. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is frequently utilized in China to manage PSF. However, robust synthesized evidence supporting its efficacy remains limited. This study integrates meta-analysis with medication pattern analysis to establish a comprehensive evidence base for the rational clinical application of CHM in PSF treatment. Methods: Relevant RCTs were retrieved from eight databases-including PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Chinese Biomedical Database (SinoMed), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang-up to March 2026. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4, while funnel plot and Egger's test were utilized to evaluate potential publication bias. Furthermore, we analyzed medication pattern in terms of usage frequency, properties, flavors, meridian tropism, and hierarchical cluster of Traditional Chinese Medicine actions of Chinese medicinal materials. Results: Nineteen trials involving 1,474 patients were included. Meta-analysis indicated that CHM significantly alleviated fatigue severity, as measured by fatigue severity scale. Evidence also suggested that CHM improved quality of life, motor function, and mood disorders. No significant publication bias was detected. Medication pattern analysis of 15 unique CHM formulas identified 52 Chinese medicinal materials, with high-frequency ingredients including Astragali radix, Angelicae sinensis radix, Chuanxiong rhizoma. The medicinal profiles were characterized by warm or slightly warm natures, sweet and pungent flavors, and tropism toward the spleen, liver, and heart meridians, reflecting core efficacies of tonifying deficiency and activating blood to resolve stasis. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence for the clinical consideration of CHM in the management of post-stroke fatigue and highlights key Chinese medicinal materials and core TCM therapeutic strategies. However, further large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials are warranted to strengthen the evidence base and facilitate the integration of CHM into global clinical practice for post-stroke fatigue. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261356354.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.