Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Fish Growth: A Meta-Analysis Study

Fish productivity has long been the subject of studies using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To validate TCM's effectiveness on weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), a meta-analysis study was conducted. Of the 58 studies collected from PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, 4 eligible studies were analyzed quantitatively. The extracted data were then analyzed using Review Manager (RevMan) online to determine the standard mean difference (SMD), random effect, heterogeneity, and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). As a result, TCM administration had a favorable effect on WGR (SMD = 8.33; p = 0.0001) and SGR (SMD = 8.12; p = 0.0004). In conclusion, this meta-analysis study emphasized the efficacy of TCM to improve fish production performance.