Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapidly progressing condition in which immune-mediated injury affects peripheral nerves. Because widely accepted treatment protocols emphasize acute-phase care, rehabilitation, and long-term management often remain insufficient. In East Asia, herbal formulas have historically been applied to support GBS recovery, leading to interest in their adjunctive potential. This study was therefore designed to assess clinical data regarding herbal interventions for GBS and outline future research directions. Searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, CiNii, and Science ON from database inception through December 4, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing conventional Western medicine (CWM) plus herbal therapy (treatment) versus CWM alone (control) were included to determine the added value of herbal medicine for GBS. All references were organized using EndNote X9 (Clarivate Analytics). Meta-analysis was completed with Review Manager (Revman) 5.4.1. Outcomes included Total Effective Rate (TER), Modified Barthel Index (mBI), and Manual Muscle Testing (MMT). Safety was evaluated through reported significant adverse events (AEs).
Ten RCTs involving 764 participants met the criteria. Meta-analytic results showed a significant increase in TER in the combination-therapy group relative to controls (risk ratio: 1.14, 95 % CI: 1.09–1.20, p < 0.00001). mBI and both upper- and lower-limb MMT scores were also markedly higher in the treatment group. None of the included trials documented meaningful AEs. Findings indicate that pairing CWM with herbal medicine may offer a more effective and safer path to functional rehabilitation for individuals with GBS. Additional rigorously designed studies are needed to confirm these observations.
