Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of an herbal, Qinghua Quyu, compound in combination with acupuncture in the treatment of patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) with dampness-heat accumulation TCM type. Methods 70 patients with MAFLD and a damp-heat accumulation TCM type were encountered in our hospital and in Rugao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital between January 2024 and September 2025, and were randomly assigned to receive general diet and exercise guidance in 35 cases in control, or receive an oral herbal medicine compound and acupuncture at base of general intervention in another 35 cases in observation group for 8 weeks. TCM syndrome scores were evaluated. Ultrasound attenuation parameter (UAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were detected by ultrasonography. Fatty liver index (FLI) was calculated based on clinical materials. Results By end of eight week treatment, total effectiveness about TCM syndrome improvement in the observation was 94.3%, much higher than 77.1%(P＜0.05) in the control; serum ALT and AST levels in the observation were (42.7±19.3)U/L and (29.5±9.3)U/L, both significantly lower than [(76.2±20.6)U/L and (43.7±10.4)U/L, respectively, P＜0.05] in the control; serum TC and TG levels were (5.4±0.8)mmol/L and (1.7±0.6)mmol/L, both significantly lower than [(6.0±0.4)mmol/L and (2.3±0.8)mmol/L, respectively, P＜0.05] in the control; UAP and FLI were (263.6±24.8)dB/m and (38.1±16.3), both much lower than [(277.5±23.5)dB/m and (55.7±21.5), respectively, P＜0.05] in the control group. Conclusion Combination of Qinghua Quyu decoction with acupuncture could effectively ameliorate clinical TCM-symptoms, improve liver function test and blood lipid normalization at base of diet control and exercise in dealing with patients with MALFD, which needs further clinical investigation.

Key words: Metabolism-associated fatty liver disease, Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Ultrasound attenuation parameter, Fatty liver index, Therapy