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Chaihushugan Decoction and Wen Dan Tang for Insomnia

Effectiveness Evaluation of Chaihushugan Decoction and Wen Dan Tang Used in Treating Insomnia: A Pilot Randomized, Head-to-Head Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07735390
Enrollment
24
Registered
2026-07-30
Start date
2024-09-13
Completion date
2029-12-31
Last updated
2026-08-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Insomnia, Sleep Wake Disorders

Keywords

Chaihushugan Decoction

Brief summary

This study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in treating sleep disorders, specifically chronic insomnia. While conventional TCM treatments often rely heavily on subjective patient feedback, this clinical trial incorporates objective diagnostic tools, including Digital Polysomnography (PSG) and actigraphy, to gather data-driven sleep quality metrics. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either Chaihushugan Decoction or Wen Dan Tang for an 8-week treatment period. Subjective improvements will be tracked using standardized clinical questionnaires such as the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The findings from this trial will help clarify the scientific basis and treatment pathways of these two classic herbal formulations for sleep management.

Detailed description

This pilot randomized, parallel, head-to-head clinical trial is designed to investigate and compare the therapeutic effects of two classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas, Chaihushugan Decoction and Wen Dan Tang, for patients suffering from chronic insomnia. Eligible patients recruited from the outpatient clinic of Tainan Hospital will be randomly allocated to one of the two intervention arms in a 1:1 ratio. Group A will receive Chaihushugan Decoction (2g, three times a day, oral administration), and Group B will receive Wen Dan Tang (2g, three times a day, oral administration). The total intervention period for both groups is 8 weeks. To overcome the limitations of relying solely on subjective patient self-reports, this study implements a rigorous combination of objective and subjective assessment protocols. Objective sleep parameters-including sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep architecture, arousal index, and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)-will be measured using overnight Digital Polysomnography (PSG) and actigraphy tracking. These evaluations will be conducted at three time points: baseline, week 4 (mid-treatment), and week 8 (post-treatment). Simultaneously, standardized subjective clinical questionnaires will be administered to monitor psychological and sleep quality changes, including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The primary objective is to evaluate data-driven clinical responses and physiological alterations associated with these two distinct TCM patterns in sleep management.

Interventions

DRUGChaihushugan Decoction

Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formula granule. Dosage: 2 grams, three times a day, oral administration for 8 weeks.

DRUGWen Dan Tang

Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formula granule. Dosage: 2 grams, three times a day, oral administration for 8 weeks.

Sponsors

Tainan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients aged 20 or older seeking treatment at the Traditional Chinese Medicine outpatient clinic with sleep disorders. * Meet the diagnostic criteria for chronic insomnia according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3). * Willing to receive traditional Chinese medicine treatment. * Able to provide signed informed consent approved by the National Cheng Kung University Hospital Institutional Review Board.

Exclusion criteria

* Diagnosed with schizophrenia or narcolepsy. * History of neurological diseases (e.g., stroke history, neurodegenerative diseases). * History of alcohol or drug addiction. * Experiencing major, uncontrollable life-altering stressors (e.g., recent bereavement).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) ScoreBaseline, Week 4, and Week 8Evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), a 7-item self-report questionnaire assessing the nature, severity, and impact of insomnia. Each item is rated on a a 0-4 scale, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 28. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater severity of insomnia symptoms).

Countries

Taiwan

Contacts

CONTACTYu-Ching Hsu
tnhpcm2017@gmail.com+886-6-2202121

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 8, 2026