Li, Yuxiao, Yang, Jingya, Chau, Chi Ian et al. · Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023 · DOI
This review looked at 62 research studies testing traditional and complementary medicines for chronic fatigue syndrome, involving over 5,200 patients. The researchers found that certain Chinese herbal combinations appeared to help reduce fatigue and improve symptoms, with no serious side effects reported. However, the quality of the studies varied widely, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about whether these treatments truly work.
This review addresses a critical gap for ME/CFS patients who often turn to complementary approaches when conventional treatments fail. By synthesizing evidence on traditional medicines, it provides an overview of which interventions have research support and which need better study, helping inform shared decision-making between patients and clinicians.
This review does not prove that any complementary medicine definitively treats ME/CFS, as the included studies had significant quality and methodological problems. The findings do not establish causation or safety in well-controlled settings with standardized diagnostic criteria. Small effect sizes and publication bias in favor of positive results may inflate the apparent efficacy of these interventions.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Li, Yuxiao, Yang, Jingya, Chau, Chi Ian, Shi, Junnan, Chen, Xianwen, Hu, Hao, et al. (2023). Is there a role for traditional and complementary medicines in managing chronic fatigue? a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.. Frontiers in pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1266803
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-li-2023-there-role,
author = {Li, Yuxiao and Yang, Jingya and Chau, Chi Ian and Shi, Junnan and Chen, Xianwen and Hu, Hao and Ung, Carolina Oi Lam},
title = {Is there a role for traditional and complementary medicines in managing chronic fatigue? a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.},
journal = {Frontiers in pharmacology},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2023.1266803},
note = {PubMed: 37942489},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/li-2023-there-role},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/li-2023-there-role
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