Assessment of the efficiency of herbal formulas and finding the rules of combining herbs in the treatment of simple obesity using network meta-analysis and association rule

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of herbal formulas and finding the rules of combining herbs in the treatment of simple obesity. Method: Search for randomized controlled clinical trials involving herbal formulas in patients with simpl obesity on the CNKI databases. The retrieval period was from 2014 to 2023. Search results were screened according to pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria, then data were extracted. Using network meta-analysis and the association rule in R software to perform the synthesis analysis. Results: 61 studies were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis results revealed that three herbal formulas achieved the highest BMI reduction when combined with other treatment methods: Self-designed formulas, Wu Ling San, and Shen Ling Bai Zhu San. The synthesis analysis showed that Poria, Atractylodes, and Hawthorn were the most frequently used herbs in the decoction formulas, with common doses of 15g, 10g, and 15g, respectively. Five patterns of herb combination were identified: Atractylodes macrocephala, Crataegus pinnatifida, Citrus reticulata, Alisma orientale, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, paired with Poria cocos, with support of 33.3%-53.3% and confidence of 83.3%-92.9%. Conclusion: Three herbal formulas were evaluated as achieving the highest BMI reduction when combined with other treatment methods. The linkage algorithm identified five herb combination rules in the treatment of simple obesity.