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Lumbar disc herniation is a leading cause of low back pain worldwide and places a significant burden on healthcare systems. Yaobitong capsules are a commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation that has been widely used in clinical practice to treat this condition, yet a thorough evaluation of their efficacy and safety had been lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis addressed that gap by pooling data from seventeen randomised controlled trials involving 1,752 patients.
The analysis found that, compared with standard pharmacological therapy alone, yaobitong capsules significantly reduced pain scores, improved disability index scores, and enhanced functional outcome scores. The capsules also appeared to reduce circulating levels of key inflammatory markers, suggesting a meaningful anti-inflammatory mechanism of action. Importantly, adverse events were mild and occurred notably less frequently in patients receiving yaobitong capsules than in those receiving standard treatment alone, indicating a favourable short-term safety profile. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses supported the consistency of these findings across different sample sizes, treatment durations, and dosing regimens.
The authors note important limitations: most included trials were small, single-centre studies conducted exclusively in China, and evidence certainty was graded using established methodology, revealing room for improvement. Larger, multicentre randomised controlled trials with standardised outcome measures are needed to confirm long-term safety and broader clinical applicability.
Conclusion: Yaobitong capsules appear to offer meaningful benefits in pain relief, functional recovery, and inflammation reduction for lumbar disc herniation, supporting their potential role as an adjunct to conventional treatment.
Source: Wang SA, Wang XJ, Che SJ and colleagues. Frontiers in pharmacology (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42305443) · doi:10.3389/fphar.2026.1815867