Efficacy and safety of resina draconis as an adjuvant therapy for diabetic foot ulcer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Resina Draconis, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with wound-healing properties, has been increasingly used as an adjunctive treatment for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Resina Draconis in the treatment of DFUs. METHODS: Five electronic databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to December 2025. Eligible studies compared Resina Draconis combined with conventional therapy versus conventional therapy alone in patients with DFUs. Dichotomous outcomes were expressed as risk ratios (RRs), and continuous outcomes as mean differences (MDs), both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs involving 1,011 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed that adjunctive treatment with Resina Draconis significantly improved the overall healing response (RR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.20-0.39; P < 0.00001), shortened wound-healing time (MD = -11.66; 95% CI, -21.62 to -1.69; P = 0.02), and reduced serum C-reactive protein levels (MD = -1.99; 95% CI, -2.99 to -0.99; P < 0.0001). No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Resina Draconis may be an effective and safe adjunctive therapy for DFUs, potentially enhancing wound healing and reducing systemic inflammation. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited sample sizes and potential publication bias of the included studies. Further large-scale, rigorously designed RCTs are needed to confirm these results. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Identifier CRD42020189060.