Systematic review and meta-analysis suggests Lanqin Oral Liquid plus Western medicine improves pharyngitis outcomes versus Western medicine alone

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Frontiers in Medicine Published May 14, 2026 Medically reviewed May 14, 2026 Study authors: Xiangdong Mu, Qiongzhen Luo, Yasheng Yuan DOI ↗ By Dr. Julia Lee, PhD · Oncology, Genomics & Drug Development

Key Takeaway

Consider Lanqin Oral Liquid plus Western medicine for pharyngitis given higher effective rates and faster symptom resolution.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of Lanqin Oral Liquid combined with Western medicine for treating pharyngitis compared to Western medicine monotherapy. The analysis pooled data from 12 studies to evaluate primary and secondary outcomes including effective rates, symptom improvement, and inflammatory markers.

The meta-analysis found that the combination therapy resulted in a significantly higher effective rate with an odds ratio of 3.68 and a 95% CI of 2.55 to 5.33. Disappearance times for pharyngeal redness swelling, sore throat, and phlegm were significantly shortened with all P values less than 0.05. Additionally, C-reactive protein levels were significantly reduced with a standardized mean difference of -2.72 and a 95% CI of -3.37 to -2.07.

Scores for the Reflux Symptom Index and Reflux Finding Score were reduced with all P values less than 0.05. The incidence of adverse events showed no significant difference between groups with an odds ratio of 0.63 and a 95% CI of 0.28 to 1.45. Serious adverse events were not reported and discontinuations were not reported. The authors acknowledge that limited available evidence restricts the certainty of these findings.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedMay 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy and safety of Lanqin Oral Liquid combined with Western medicine for the treatment of pharyngitis. A comprehensive and systematic literature search was conducted by two independent reviewers across six electronic databases–PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang and VIP. Outcomes included the effective rate, symptoms improvement, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and the incidence of adverse events. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was adopted to evaluate the quality of the included studies, and RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.0 software were used for meta-analysis. A total of 12 studies were included. The effective rate of Lanqin Oral Liquid combined with Western medicine for pharyngitis was significantly higher than that of Western medicine monotherapy (OR = 3.68, 95% CI [2.55, 5.33], Z = 6.92, P < 0.001), with no heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 0%, P = 0.73). Compared with Western medicine monotherapy, combination therapy significantly shortened the disappearance time of pharyngeal redness/swelling, sore throat, and phlegm in patients with acute pharyngitis, and reduced Reflux Symptom Index score and Reflux Finding Score in those with chronic pharyngitis (all P < 0.05). The combination therapy was significantly superior to Western medicine monotherapy in reducing CRP levels (SMD = −2.72, 95% CI [−3.37, −2.07], Z = 8.19, P < 0.001). The incidence of adverse events showed no significant difference between the two groups (OR = 0.63, 95% CI [0.28, 1.45], Z = 1.08, P = 0.28). For pharyngitis patients, the combination of Lanqin Oral Liquid and Western medicine may provide better efficacy compared with Western medicine monotherapy, and its safety profile should be interpreted with caution owing to limited available evidence.