Efficacy and safety of the Chaihuguizhiganjiang-suanzaoren granule on primary insomnia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Insomnia is a highly prevalent, often debilitating and economically burdensome sleep disorder with limited effective therapies. Few data are available to understand which of the therapeutic alternatives is the most effective for patients with insomnia, especially for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Chinese herbal medicine, as a typical TCM, is one of the most popular complementary and alternative therapies for insomnia. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Chaihuguizhiganjiang-suanzaoren granule (CSG), a Chinese herbal medicine treatment, in patients with primary insomnia.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS:

This is a multicentre, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical trial. A total of 258 participants are randomly allocated to two groups: the intervention group or the placebo group. The intervention group receives CSG and the placebo group receives a placebo granule. The patients receive either CSG or placebo two times daily for 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Secondary outcomes include the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Total Sleep Time (TST) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The assessment is performed at baseline (before randomisation), 4, 8 and 12 weeks after randomisation.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:

The protocol has been approved by the Research Ethical Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University (reference: 2014BL-003-01). The trial will be helpful in identifying the efficacy and safety of CSG in patients with primary insomnia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:

ISRCTN22001145; Pre-results.

• Authors: Qing-Quan Liu, Jie Zhang, Rong-Juan Guo, Ying-Zhen Xie, Qing-Nan Fu, Tian He, Xue-Qi Zhu, Jie Du, Jing Yang, Jia-Lin Wang, Min-Min Wei, Qian-Qian Li, Guang-Xia Shi, Cun-Zhi Liu
• Journal: BMJ open (BMJ Open) Vol. 6 Issue 2 Pg. e008459 (Feb 02 2016) ISSN: 2044-6055 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26839010 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Chemical References

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• saiko-keishi-to
• suanzaoren

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Double-Blind Method
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional (methods)
• Middle Aged
• Research Design
• Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders (drug therapy)
• Treatment Outcome
• Young Adult