The Üstikuddus sherbiti in the treatment of abnormal cold and dry-type depression patients with comorbid anxiety: A randomized and controlled clinical trial

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of Üstikuddus sherbiti (US), a traditional herbal prescription of Uyghur medicine, in the treatment of cold and dry-type major depression disorder (MDD) patients with comorbid anxiety. Methods: A total of 150 cold and dry-type depressive patients with comorbid anxiety were randomly divided into three groups of 50 patients; then they were, respectively, treated with US, modern medicine Fluoxetine, and the combination of Fluoxetine and US. The depression degrees of patients were evaluated zero and six weeks after the treatment based on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), in the clinical study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to detect significant differences at various time points or among the three groups. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS version 21.0. Results: The main results are as follows: After taking the medicine, the depressive condition of patients with comorbid anxiety in the three groups was getting better with the passage of time; particularly, the clinical efficacy of US combined with Fluoxetine was significantly improved, indicating that the effect of combined treatment is better than treatment with pure Fluoxetine or pure US treatment. Statistical difference exists between the end time point within groups, but not among the three groups. Moreover, in the detection process of the patient’s physical indicators, no obvious side effects were found. These results together suggested that US can strengthen the curative effect of modern medicine in the treatment of depression, which would lay a foundation for studying the molecular mechanism and potential target of US. Conclusion: Fluoxetine and US combination therapy played a significant role in the treatment of depressive symptoms, suggesting that it can improve the curative effect of depression. The study provided a new way of thinking to clarify the US molecular mechanism for the treatment of depression and potential target.