2.3. Study intervention and control
Rhizoma Corydalis, 7:7:4:4:7, Herba Asari, Radix Euphorbiae Kansui
GROUP B
For Group A, the subjects were treated with SAAT at each center. The herbal pastes comprised of Rhizoma Corydalis, Semen Sinapis Albae, Radix Euphorbiae Kansui, Herba Asari, and starch, at a ratio of 7:7:4:4:7. In parallel, subjects randomized to Group B were treated with placebo prepared by mixing the equal amount of starch and water. Notably, all herbs were purchased from Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Co. LTD (Chengdu, China). Initially, the herbs were ground into powder (average size of 125 ± 5.8 µm) by WFM Ultra-Grinding Vibration Mill (Chengdu Saierte Machinery Co. LTD, Chengdu, China). Further, the mixture of herbs (10 g) was transformed into an ointment-like semi-solid dosage form using 2 mL of ginger juice. Then, the herbal semi-solid-like ointment was transferred inside a rubber ring on square tape. The rubber ring, with an approximate inner diameter of 2 cm and height of 1 mm, was placed in the middle of the square tape. The herbal ointment or placebo was plastered on 8 acupoints of BL, including bilateral BL13, BL17, BL20, and BL23. All subjects received the SAAT or sham treatment thrice per year on the hottest days in summer for 2 consecutive years (as shown in Table The dog day of the years 2018 to 2020.