The Chinese herbal formula Dang Gui Shao Yao San (DSS) provides clinically important reductions in symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) and represents a promising anti-dementia drug candidate. Korean authors carried out a systematic review of data from five studies of AD and four studies of VD, representing a total of 567 participants. Pooled results for AD favoured DSS related to dementia scores and activities of daily living. DSS showed a synergistic effect with acupuncture compared with acupuncture alone. In VD, pooled results showed that DSS significantly reduced symptoms, and was associated with a significant difference in dementia scores compared with nootropic drugs.
Danggui-Shaoyao-San for dementia: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jan;99(4):e18507.