The Chinese herbal formula Ping Chan Wan improves Parkinson’s disease

Background: Ping Chan Wan is a traditional Chinese medicine for Parkinson’s disease.

Hypothesis/purpose: This was the first study aiming to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ping Chan Wan for motor symptoms, gait impairments and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease.

Study design and methods: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 292 participants were included and followed for 9 months, randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive PCG or placebo. The primary outcome was the severity of motor symptoms assessed by Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Rating Scale III (MDS-UPDRS-III) motor score. Secondary outcomes included timed up and go test (TUG), functional gait assessment (FGA), freezing of gait (FOG), and quality of life assessed by Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39). Assessments were done at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2) and 9 months (T3).

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR-INR-1,701,194.

Results: Generalised estimating equation analyses revealed that Ping Chan Wan group had significantly better improvement in MDS-UPDRS-III motor score than placebo group, as well as its domain scores of axial symptoms, bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. Improvements of TUG time, FGA, FOG questionnaire (FOGQ), and PDQ39 scores were also observed.

Conclusion: Ping Chan Wan had a long-lasting efficacy for motor symptoms and function in Parkinson’s disease with good tolerance, supporting that Ping Chan Wan might be a viable alternative in the management of Parkinson’s disease.

Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36283254/

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About Attilio

Doctor of Chinese medicine, acupuncture expert and author of My Fertility Guide and My Pregnancy Guide.

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