Chinese herbal medicines for treating pre-eclampsia

Background Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) considers that, when a woman is pregnant, most of the blood of the mother is directed to the placenta to provide the baby with the required nutrition, As a consequence, other maternal organs may be vulnerable to damage. These organs include the liver, the spleen and the kidneys. The use of Chinese herbal medicines is often individualised and based on the presence of TCM symptoms. The general effects of Chinese herbal medicines may be valuable in pre-eclampsia by encouraging vasodilatation, increasing blood flow and decreasing platelet aggregation. Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicines for treating pre-eclampsia and compare it with that of placebo, no treatment, Western medicine or other Chinese herbal medicines. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (June 2009), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1950 to June 2009) and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (1979 to June 2009). Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials in which Chinese herbal medicines were used for treating pre-eclampsia. Data collection and analysis Three review authors searched studies and assessed full texts independently. Another author also assessed the studies if there was any doubt about whether or not to include the trial. We did not perform analysis as there were no trials included in this review. Main results No trials were suitable for inclusion in this review. Authors' conclusions The efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicines for treating pre-eclampsia remains unclear. There are no randomised controlled trials in this field. High-quality randomised controlled trials are urgently required.