Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Regulating Yang and Dispelling Evil acupuncture combined with moxibustion in the treatment of mild and moderate depression, and its effect on the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4 and interleukin-10.

Methods Ninety mild and moderate depression patients were randomly divided into the A group (treatment with acupuncture), B group (treatment with moxibustion) and C group (treatment with acupuncture combined with moxibustion). Three groups were treated with conventional western medicine at the same time. The clinical efficacy, scores of HAMD, SAS and SDS and serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 among three groups were compared between before and after treatment.

Results After 3 courses of treatment, the total effective rates in A group, B group and C group were 89.3%, 86.2% and 93.1%, respectively. After treatment, the improvement of HAMD and SDS scores in the C group were better than those in B and A groups (P ＜ 0.05 to P ＜ 0.01), and the improvement of SAS scores in the A and C groups were better than that in B group (P ＜ 0.05 to P ＜ 0.01). Among all HAMD factors, the improvement of sleep factors in A and C groups were better than those in B group (P ＜ 0.01), and the improvement of gastrointestinal factors in B and C groups were better than those in A group (P ＜ 0.05). After treatment, the levels of IL-4 in three groups increased (P ＜ 0.01), and which in C group was higher than that in B group (P ＜ 0.05). There was no statistical significance in the levels of IL-10 among three groups between before and after treatment (P ＞ 0.05).

Conclusions The combination of acupuncture and moxibustion can better achieve the anti-depression effects of regulating Yang and expelling evil, improve the level of IL-4, and the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines.