The efficacy and safety of donepezil plus ginkgo biloba for Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of donepezil and ginkgo biloba for Alzheimer5s disease.Methods:A systematic literature retrieval was carried out for eligible studies in PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang and China Science and Technology Journal Database from the establishment of database to 1 February 2020.Nine randomized controlled trials were included in our study in the Review Manager 5.3.Results:Our meta-analysis found that compared with donepezil alone,ginkgo biloba and donepezil could improve clinical efficacy and enhance cognitive function measured by the mini-mental state examination score.No significant difference in the total adverse reaction,the digestive symptoms and the neurological symptoms between two groups was observed.Conclusion:The combination of donepezil plus ginkgo biloba could provide more benefits for Alzheimer 5s disease patients than donepezil alone.