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Table 2 Placebo characteristics in CHM trial registrations

From: Placebo design in WHO-registered trials of Chinese herbal medicine need improvements

Item

Report, N = 363 (%)

Not report, N = 363 (%)

Composition of placebo

46 (12.7)

317 (87.3)

Pharmacological inert test

2 (0.6)

361 (99.4)

Physically identical test a

52 (14.3)

311 (85.7)

Quality control of placebo b

14 (3.9)

349 (96.1)

Evaluation criteria for successful blinding of placebo

2 (0.6)

361 (99.4)

  1. a No trial reported the testing methods for determining whether the placebo was physically identical to the CHM intervention. Specific physical characteristics (e.g. color, smell, packaging, etc.) were calculated, and its detailed information is presented in Additional file 1: S2
  2. b 14 trials mentioned the manufacturer of placebos; thus, quality control followed the specifications of the manufacturer. Among these trials, 10 reported the specific name of placebo manufacturer, while the other 4 reported that the placebo was manufactured with GMP certification. Detailed information in this category is presented in Additional file 1: S3
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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

ISSN: 2662-7671

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