SynthesisFrontiers in pharmacology2026
A network meta-analysis of commercial Chinese polyherbal preparations for insomnia in the elderly: focusing on sleep quality and the neuro-immune axis.
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
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Insomnia is highly prevalent in the elderly and is closely linked to "inflammaging" and neuroinflammation. While Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) formulations are clinically utilized, their comparative efficacy and potential modulation of the neuro-immune axis remain to be systematically quantified. This network meta-analysis (NMA) evaluated the relative efficacy of standardized CHM interventions and explored their exploratory effects on serum inflammatory markers in geriatric patients. Methods: Eight databases were searched from inception to February 2026. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating oral CHM for insomnia in patients aged ≥60 years were included. Frequentist NMA was performed using R software (netmeta). The primary outcomes were Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores and clinical effective rate. Mechanistic exploration focused on serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Treatment ranking was performed using P-scores and cluster analysis. Results: Nineteen RCTs involving 1851 participants were included. NMA showed that compared with conventional therapy (CT) alone, Commercial Chinese Polyherbal Preparations combined with CT (MD = -2.53, 95% CI [-3.62, -1.44]) and CHM Decoction combined with CT (MD = -2.02, 95% CI [-2.56, -1.48]) were the most effective in reducing PSQI scores. For the clinical effective rate, Commercial Chinese Polyherbal Preparations + CT showed the highest odds of success (OR = 6.08, 95% CI [3.21, 11.51]). Preliminary pairwise meta-analysis suggested a trend of CHM in reducing serum IL-6 levels, although the certainty of this evidence is limited by the small number of studies. Risk of bias assessment revealed "some concerns" in several domains, particularly regarding blinding and outcome measurement. Conclusion: Standardized CHM preparations, particularly as adjuncts to conventional pharmacotherapy, show potential in improving sleep quality in the elderly. However, given the identified risks of bias and the exploratory nature of the IL-6 findings, these results should be interpreted with caution. Further high-quality, double-blind trials are required to substantiate these neuro-immune therapeutic pathways. Systematic Review Registration: Identifier CRD420261377326.
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.