Background: Danshen dripping pill (DSP) is a popular Chinese medicinal product and often compared with isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in treating coronary heart disease angina pectoris.Over 100 randomized controlled trials (RCT) were conducted in China and published in Chinese language.Past Chinese systematic reviews selected only a small fraction of available RCTs.Some of the selected RCTs were complicated by combined use of DSP with other anti-anginal drugs.No sensitivity analysis was performed.This study aims to provide a comprehensive PRISMA-compliant systematic review with sensitivity and subgroup analyses.Methods: RCTs published between 1994 and 2009 on DSP versus ISDN in treating angina pectoris for four or more weeks were retrieved from major databases, including PubMed,Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang Data.Meta-analysis was performed on the overall effects on symptomatic and electrocardiography (ECG)improvements.Sensitivity analysis was conducted on the study quality of RCTs based on a scale (M scale) refined from Jadad scale.Subgroup analysis was performed on the major factors such as follow-up periods.Results: Sixty RCTs with 6931 participants were included.Summary odds ratios for comparing DSP and ISDNwere 2.49 (95%CI 2.03 to 3.05) by symptoms (n=60) and 2.14(95%CI 1.82 to 2.52) by ECG (n=53).Subgroup and sensitivity analysis did not find significant differences in overall effects among different follow-upperiods and RCT quality measures.Conclusion: The 60 eligible RCTs indicate that DSP might be more effective than ISDN in treating angina pectoris.However, further RCTs of larger scale,multi-centre/country, longer follow-up periods, and higher quality are still required to verify the efficacy of the DSP over ISDN and to compare DSP with the conventional anti-anginal therapies other than ISDN.