{
  "abstract": "Background: Although conventional therapies for Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) remain the standard treatment, their effectiveness is often limited and accompanied by adverse effects. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is a promising adjunctive therapy for CAS; however, robust clinical evidence supporting its efficacy and safety remains limited.\n\nObjective: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of CHM for CAS treatment and characterizes its medication patterns.\n\nMethods: Five databases were searched from inception to December 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating oral CHM for CAS were included. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. Data were extracted and analyzed using RevMan v5.3 and R software. Sources of heterogeneity were investigated through meta-regression and subgroup analyses. Network analysis reveals herbal medication patterns across 21 studies.\n\nResults: Twenty-one RCTs involving 3,078 patients were included. Compared with conventional therapy alone, adjunctive CHM significantly reduced carotid plaque area (MD = 4.94, 95% CI: 3.13 to 6.76, p < 0.01), intima-media thickness (IMT) (MD = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.17, p < 0.05), total cholesterol (TC) (MD = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.42, p < 0.01), triglycerides (TG) (MD = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.37, p < 0.01), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (MD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.53, p < 0.01), while greatly increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (MD = −0.20, 95% CI: −0.29 to −0.10, p < 0.01). CHM did not significantly increase the risk of adverse events (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.10, p = 0.20) or impair liver/kidney function. Network analysis identified core actions as clearing phlegm and removing blood stasis, with Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge.) and Banxia [Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.] as pivotal botanical drugs exerting anti-stasis and lipid-regulating effects.\n\nConclusion: As an adjunct to conventional therapy, CHM may further reduce carotid IMT and plaque burden, improve lipid metabolism, and demonstrate a favorable safety profile. However, the overall quality and heterogeneity of the included studies limit the strength of the evidence, highlighting the need for well-designed, high-quality RCTs to confirm these findings.\n\nSystematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261285381 , identifier CRD420261285381.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University , ,",
    "School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "systematic review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuemeng Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Menghan Feng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Haoran Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiayi Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Qian Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shujing Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chunjie Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hao Wu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/05eq04w30vv5y.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1903096",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672559/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "05eq04w30vv5y",
  "issns": [
    "1663-9812"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672559",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2707|Medical Research and Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215918527",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672559/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13672559",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-02",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/05eq04w30vv5y.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:18Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13672559",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672559"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1903096",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1903096/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:1663-9812",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Efficacy and safety of selected Chinese herbal medicine preparations in treating carotid atherosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analyses",
  "title_text": "Efficacy and safety of selected Chinese herbal medicine preparations in treating carotid atherosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analyses",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/05eq04w30vv5y",
  "venue": "Frontiers in pharmacology",
  "versions": []
}