RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12) for treatment of peptic ulcer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two hundred and seventy-six cases enrolled were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a control group, 138 cases in the acupuncture group were treated with deep needling at Zhongwan (CV 12) with a long needle, and 138 cases in the control group were treated with climetidine. The therapeutic effects were evaluated by clinical symptoms and gastroscopy. They were investigated for 6 weeks.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The acupuncture group was better than the control group in rapid alleviation of stomachache and improvement of appetite (P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 90.6% in the acupuncture group and 88.4% in the control group with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The symptoms improved significantly in the two groups (P < 0.01), but with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the therapeutic effect of gastroscopy (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12) has a reliable therapeutic effect on peptic ulcer.</p>