A Clinical Trial of Longqi Jiangzhi Decoction Against Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

December 21, 2025 updated by: Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Effect of Longqi Jiangzhi Decoction on Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: a Randomized Clinical Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Longqi Jiangzhi decoction works to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults. It will also learn about the safety of drug Longqi Jiangzhi decoction. Researchers will compare drug Longqi Jiangzhi decoction to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if drug Longqi Jiangzhi decoction works to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Participants will: Take drug Longqi Jiangzhi decoction or a placebo every day for eight weeks Keep a record of their symptoms and the degree of hepatic steatosis before and after the treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18-50 years, both genders eligible;
  2. Meets the diagnostic criteria for NAFLD;
  3. Meets the diagnostic criteria for Traditional Chinese Medicine Spleen Deficiency and Damp-Heat Syndrome;
  4. Has significant risk factors: CAP≥238dB/m, Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥23 kg/m²;
  5. Has not received any anti-NAFLD medication treatment in the past month;
  6. Normal major organ function, including heart, kidney, and liver functions, specifically: no significant abnormalities on electrocardiogram; normal serum creatinine and urea nitrogen; normal serum bilirubin and albumin levels;
  7. Has sufficient cognitive and understanding abilities to comprehend the study content and its potential risks and benefits;
  8. Voluntarily participates in the study and signs an informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Has liver steatosis due to other definitive causes, such as alcoholic liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, viral hepatitis infections (e.g., hepatitis B, hepatitis C, etc.);
  2. Has other serious liver diseases, such as autoimmune liver diseases, primary biliary cholangitis, Wilson's disease, etc.;
  3. Has severe dysfunction of major organs such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, etc., such as severe heart failure (NYHA functional classification III or above), renal failure (glomerular filtration rate eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73m²), acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.;
  4. Has other serious systemic diseases, such as malignant tumors, active systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.;
  5. Known allergy or intolerance to any component of the study medication;
  6. Has participated in another clinical trial within the last three months;
  7. Pregnant women, lactating women, or women of childbearing age who refuse to use effective contraception during the trial;
  8. Has severe mental illness or behavioral disorders that may affect adherence to the study protocol;
  9. Other conditions that the researcher considers unsuitable for participation in this study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Treatment group
These medicines of Longqi Jiangzhi decoction are uniformly decocted, prepared, and packaged by the Pharmacy of Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The administration is oral, taken twice daily, one packet each time, for a treatment period of 8 weeks. In addition, following the guidelines, all participants will receive lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise health education before enrollment to ensure calorie control and exercise compliance.
Drug: Longqi Jiangzhi decoction
Below is the composition of Longqi Jiangzhi decoction: Gentiana Scabra 5g, Astragalus membranaceus 10g, Rhizoma Alismatis 10g, Crataegus pinnatifida 10g, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium 5g.
Placebo Comparator: Control group
These placebo medicines are uniformly decocted, prepared, and packaged by the Pharmacy of Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The administration is oral, taken twice daily, one packet each time, for a treatment period of 8 weeks. In addition, following the guidelines, all participants will receive lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise health education before enrollment to ensure calorie control and exercise compliance.
Drug: Control placebo
The control placebo is a ten-fold dilution of the Longqi Jiangzhi decoction, supplemented with colorants and bittering agents to mimic the appearance and color of the treatment drug.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
controlled attenuation parameter
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
A liver fiber diagnostic instrument (Fibro Touch) is used to perform instantaneous elastic hardness testing. The controlled attenuation parameter usually represents liver fat content, whereas higher scores mean a worse outcome.
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
body weight
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
weighing on a scale
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
alanine aminotransferase
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
triglyceride
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
total cholesterol
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
fasting plasma glucose
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
aspartate aminotransferase
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
creatinine
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
urea nitrogen
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 8 weeks
serum biochemistry
through study completion, an average of 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 29, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 7, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 21, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 21, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • LJD2025001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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