{
  "abstract": "Background:: Hymenoptera stings can cause severe anaphylaxis and venom-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Although conventional medicine (CM) can effectively control acute symptoms, its ability to prevent delayed venom-related organ injury remains limited. Therefore, herbal medicine (HM) combined with CM has been investigated to enhance venom detoxification and elimination. However, comprehensive evidence-based syntheses evaluating these interventions remain limited. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HM + CM in mitigating venom-induced toxicity.\n\nMethods:: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted. Major electronic databases were searched for studies comparing HM + CM and CM alone. Outcomes included total effective rate and biomarkers of hepatic, renal, cardiac, and inflammatory responses.\n\nResults:: Overall, 11 randomized controlled trials involving 1443 patients were included. While the total effective rate was statistically higher in the HM + CM group than in the CM-alone group (risk ratio, 1.03), this represents a modest 3% relative improvement with limited clinical relevance for acute symptom control. Instead, adjunctive HM was significantly associated with lower levels of biomarkers of hepatic injury (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bilirubin), cardiac injury (creatine kinase and creatine kinase-myocardial band), systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein or high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), and renal dysfunction (serum creatinine), reflecting favorable changes in laboratory biomarkers associated with multi-organ toxicity. Although no adverse events were reported among the limited number of studies that formally assessed safety, the available evidence is insufficient to establish the definitive safety of HM.\n\nConclusion:: HM combined with conventional care appears to be a potentially useful adjunctive approach for Hymenoptera stings. While its additive effect on acute symptom resolution is clinically modest in the context of standard emergency care, adjunctive HM may offer a broader therapeutic scope. Specifically, it may complement clinical recovery while attenuating venom-induced systemic inflammation and improving related laboratory biomarkers.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Korean Internal Medicine, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea",
    "Department of Korean Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Oriental Hospital, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Junseok Kim",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6699-1260"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dong-Jun Choi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0979-2791"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3xge2r93vndk4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1097/md.0000000000051395",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727229/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "3xge2r93vndk4",
  "issns": [
    "0304-5412",
    "1536-5964",
    "0025-7974"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727229",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "3800"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727229/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727229",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Wolters Kluwer Health",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3xge2r93vndk4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T15:20:51Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727229",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727229"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:23:21Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727229",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000051395"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Efficacy and safety of herbal medicine for Hymenoptera stings : A systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "title_text": "Efficacy and safety of herbal medicine for Hymenoptera stings : A systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T12:22:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3xge2r93vndk4",
  "venue": "Medicine",
  "versions": []
}