The Cochrane Collaboration review of 7 studies suggests the following.

• The overall response favored combining herbal medicine plus antipsychotic drugs vs using antipsychotic drugs alone.
• Significantly fewer people getting combined treatment left the study early compared with those given antipsychotics alone.
• There was less constipation in the combined treatment group.

The bottom line?
The available data suggest that “Chinese herbal medicines, given in a Western biomedical context, may be beneficial for people with schizophrenia when combined with antipsychotics,” according to the reviewers.

Of course you would have to find a western doctor who knows how to use them, or find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and an allopathic doc who are willing to collaborate.

Based on the limited evidence and what we know about the ignorance of each practitioner about the other’s specialty, I don’t think there are many who would take the time to get it right.

5/19/07 18:39 JR