Complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of acute bronchitis in children: A systematic review

•Our review gives an overview of studies investigating complementary and alternative medicine therapies for infantile acute bronchitis.•Clinical studies for herbal medicine, anthroposophic medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy were identified by a comprehensive systematic literature search.•Study results indicate promising effects of several remedies.•Randomized controlled trials are rare. Our review summarizes published literature of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used for the treatment of acute bronchitis in children. Acute bronchitis is one of the most frequent pediatric diseases and has high prevalence for in- and outpatient care. Acute bronchitis is mainly a viral-caused infection, but a high and inappropriate use of antibiotics has been demonstrated in many countries. As CAM therapies might reduce the use of antibiotics and can complement conventional therapies in children, they could be an appropriate treatment option. A systematic literature search was conducted using general and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)-specific databases. A search term including 65 CAM-associated definitions was applied. Literature search revealed 309 articles, whereby 18 articles hit search criteria. These clinical trials were subgrouped into the categories herbal medicine, anthroposophic medicine and homeopathy. The most often studied approaches are herbal remedies, in particular the Pelargonium sidoides extract, EPs® 7630. Its efficacy was demonstrated in three placebo-controlled trials and two observational studies. Anthroposophic approaches (mainly ribwort-containing remedies) were investigated in two controlled trials and three observational studies. Two studies were found investigating the homeopathic remedies Monapax® and Droperteel®. Study results indicate a favorable effect of investigated CAM approaches. However, only three of 18 studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), so a reliable statement on effectiveness was not possible and further RCTs are indispensable.