Chinese Medicine Injection Shuanghuanglian for Treatment of Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) are the illnesses caused by an acute infection with various viruses and bacteria involving the upper respiratory tract. Shuanghuanglian (SHL) injection, a Chinese medicine intravenous preparation extracted from honeysuckle, Scutellaria baicalensis, and fructus forsythiae, is commonly used to treat AURTIs. Although it is used largely in Chinese hospitals, there is no substantial evidence to demonstrate its clinical effect on AURTIs. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Shuanghuanglian injection for the treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infections.

Chinese herbal medicine for acute upper respiratory tract infections and reproductive safety: A systematic review

“…A systematic review that evaluated the SHL injection (SHLI) in treating AURTIs concluded that it had potentially reduced the course of disease and relieved some cold symptoms like a fever and coughing (25). However, the poor methodology of the reviewed studies and poor reporting preclude reaching any definite conclusions on its clinical effectiveness.…”

Forsythoside A and Forsythoside B Contribute to Shuanghuanglian Injection-Induced Pseudoallergic Reactions through the RhoA/ROCK Signaling Pathway

“…Clinical trials indicate that the SHLI is more effective than common antibiotics in relieving the symptoms and duration of fever, chest wheezes, cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion in respiratory tract infections [1][2][3][4]. However, SHLI is reported to cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in approximately 3.25% of duration of fever, chest wheezes, cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion in respiratory tract infections [1][2][3][4]. However, SHLI is reported to cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in approximately 3.25% of patients [5].…”

A target and nontarget strategy for identification or characterization of the chemical ingredients in Chinese herb preparation Shuang‐Huang‐Lian oral liquid by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

“…Shuang‐Huang‐Lian oral liquid (SHL) is a TCMF comprising three herbs: Scutellaria baicalensis , Forsythia suspensa and Lonicera japonica at a ratio of 1:2:1 (Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, ). It has been widely used in clinic for the treatment of respiratory diseases, including acute upper respiratory tract infection (Ni, Zhang, Hou, Shi, & Guo, ; Zhang et al, ), acute bronchitis (Ma et al, ) and tonsillitis with significant effect (Cao, Wang, Yu, & Ye, ). Moreover, SHL is the recommended TCMF for treatment of influenza in the Influenza Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2011 edition) in China.…”