Efficacy of traditional Chinese Medicine-based biological extracts in the treatment of oral lichen planus

Why clinicians should know about it

• Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (top studies of the week, 2 August 2026): Network meta‑analysis of TCM extracts for OLP
• Picked for Dermatology (top studies of the week, 2 August 2026): Oral lichen planus, not primary dermatology focus
• Picked for Microbiology (medical) (top studies of the week, 2 August 2026).

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Our network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)-based biological extracts treatment for patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Web of Science was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of TCM-based biological extracts in treating OLP. A network meta-analysis was then performed on the eligible trials, and the TCM-based biological extracts were ranked based on their effectiveness in OLP treatment using the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking (SUCRA) scores. RESULTS: In total, 22 articles were included in the meta-analysis. Direct comparisons showed that TCM-based biological extracts treatment significantly reduced visual analog scale (VAS) scores in OLP patients with an MD of -0.86 (95% CI: -1.36 to -0.37, P < 0.01). Network meta-analysis shows chamomile, curcumin, echinacea, and honey were effective in reducing clinical scores. Meanwhile, chamomile, echinacea, and honey were significant in reducing VAS scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides strong evidence for the efficacy of TCM-based biological extracts in the treatment of OLP through network meta-analysis, and in particular, TCM-based biological extracts such as echinacea and honey demonstrated significant advantages in relieving pain and improving clinical symptoms.

Abstract as published, via PubMed.