BACKGROUND: As the population ages, the prevalence of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) steadily increases, resulting in a significant economic burden on society. In East Asian nations, Chinese medicine has been used extensively to teat CSVD and has been reported to improve the cognitive function of patients. The present study aimed to comprehensively assess the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine as adjuvant therapy for CSVD. METHODS: A literature search of the CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, and ChiCTR databases...