Buyang Huanwu Decoction With Wuling Powder for Acute Ischemic Stroke

This single‐center, randomized, assessor‐blinded, controlled clinical study was designedto evaluate Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with Wuling Powder as an adjunct to standardWestern medical treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to receive standardWestern medical treatment alone or standard Western medical treatment plus Buyang HuanwuDecoction combined with Wuling Powder for 14 days. Because the intervention involved anoral herbal decoction, participant blinding was not feasible. Clinical outcome assessors,laboratory technicians, and metabolomics analysts were blinded to group allocation.The clinical part of the study focused on neurological function, activities of dailyliving, disability outcomes, and short‐term safety. These were assessed using theNational Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Barthel Index, modified Rankin Scale, andadverse event monitoring.The exploratory mechanistic part of the study examined serum drug‐derived constituents,untargeted serum metabolomic profiles, and redox‐related biomarkers. Serum samples werecollected from patients with acute ischemic stroke before and after treatment. Anon‐stroke reference group provided serum samples for metabolomic comparison only and wasnot included in the randomized treatment comparison.