Articles

Quality assurance for Chinese herbal formulae: standardization of IBS-20, a 20-herb preparation

The employment of well characterized test samples prepared from authenticated, high quality medicinal plant materials is key to reproducible herbal research. The present study aims to demonstrate a quality ass...

Authors: Siu-Po Ip, Ming Zhao, Yanfang Xian, Mengli Chen, Yuying Zong, Yung-Wui Tjong, Sam-Hip Tsai, Joseph JY Sung, Alan Bensoussan, Brian Berman, Harry HS Fong and Chun-Tao Che

Treatment of menopausal symptoms by an extract from the roots of rhapontic rhubarb: the role of estrogen receptors

A dry extract from the roots of rhapontic rhubarb (extract Rheum rhaponticum (L.); ERr) has been commercially available in Germany for over two decades to treat menopausal symptoms. However, the molecular basis o...

Authors: Günter Vollmer, Anja Papke and Oliver Zierau

Is Duhuo Jisheng Tang containing Xixin safe? A four-week safety study

Though the nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity of aristolochic acid (AA) are known, its safety in clinical usage is not clear. This study aims to evaluate the safety of Duhuo Jisheng Tang (DJT) in a four-week stud...

Authors: Shu-Ching Hsieh, Jung-Nien Lai, Pau-Chung Chen, Chao-Chung Chen, Huey-Jen Chen and Jung-Der Wang

Using Guasha to treat musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials

Guasha is a therapeutic method for pain management using tools to scrape or rub the surface of the body to relieve blood stagnation. This study aims to systematically review the controlled clinical trials on the ...

Authors: MyeongSoo Lee, Tae-Young Choi, Jong-In Kim and Sun-Mi Choi

Quality evaluation of mycelial Antrodia camphorata using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode array detector and mass spectrometry (DAD-MS)

Antrodia camphorata (AC) is an important fungus native to Taiwanese forested regions. Scientific studies have demonstrated that extracts of AC possess a variety of pharmacological functions. This study aims to id...

Authors: Sandy Shuo Zhao and Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung

Antioxidant effects of ethyl acetate extract of Desmodium gangeticum root on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rat hearts

This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the ethyl acetate extract of Desmodium gangeticum root for cardioprotection from ischemia reperfusion-induced oxidative stress.

Authors: Gino A Kurian, Srilalitha Suryanarayanan, Archana Raman and Jose Padikkala

Semantic Web for data harmonization in Chinese medicine

Scientific studies to investigate Chinese medicine with Western medicine have been generating a large amount of data to be shared preferably under a global data standard. This article provides an overview of S...

Authors: Kei-Hoi Cheung and Huajun Chen

Are acupoints specific for diseases? A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials with sham acupuncture controls

The results of many clinical trials and experimental studies regarding acupoint specificity are contradictory. This review aims to investigate whether a difference in efficacy exists between ordinary acupunctu...

Authors: Hongwei Zhang, Zhaoxiang Bian and Zhixiu Lin

Cancer patients' attitudes towards Chinese medicine: a Hong Kong survey

This article reports a survey conducted in Hong Kong on the cancer patients' attitudes towards Chinese medicine treatment.

Authors: Yuen-chi Lam, Chung-wah Cheng, Heng Peng, Chun-key Law, Xianzhang Huang and Zhaoxiang Bian

Diagnostic accuracy of pattern differentiation algorithm based on Chinese medicine theory: a stochastic simulation study

Clinical practice of Chinese medicine requires little information for differentiation of Zang-fu patterns. This study is to test the impact of information amount on the diagnostic accuracy of pattern differentiat...

Authors: Arthur Sá Ferreira

Effects of Kombucha on oxidative stress induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Trichloroethylene (TCE) may induce oxidative stress which generates free radicals and alters antioxidants or oxygen-free radical scavenging enzymes.

Authors: Ola Ali Gharib

A novel combination of Chinese medicines to treat advanced cancers and lymphomas in rats

Authors: Dawn N Waterhouse

Patent applications for using DNA technologies to authenticate medicinal herbal material

Herbal medicines are used in many countries for maintaining health and treating diseases. Their efficacy depends on the use of the correct materials, and life-threatening poisoning may occur if toxic adulteran...

Authors: Pang-Chui Shaw, Ka-Lok Wong, Albert Wai-Kit Chan, Wai-Cheong Wong and Paul Pui-Hay But

Ginseng leaf-stem: bioactive constituents and pharmacological functions

Ginseng root is used more often than other parts such as leaf stem although extracts from ginseng leaf-stem also contain similar active ingredients with pharmacological functions. Ginseng's leaf-stems are more...

Authors: Hongwei Wang, Dacheng Peng and Jingtian Xie

Cellular transport of anti-inflammatory pro-drugs originated from a herbal formulation of Zingiber cassumunar and Nigella sativa

The rhizome of Zingiber cassumunar and the seed of Nigella sativa are two ingredients in Thai traditional medicine to relieve dysmenorrhea and adjust the menstrual cycle. Mixture of these two herbs produces three...

Authors: Prasan Tangyuenyongwatana, Jariya Kowapradit, Praneet Opanasopit and Wandee Gritsanapan

Harmonization of monographic standards is needed to ensure the quality of Chinese medicinal materials

This article provides an overview on the regulations of Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) in various countries and regions. Harmonization of CMM monographs would provide standards for the quality control of C...

Authors: Kelvin Chan, Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung and Sandy Shuo Zhao

Significant differences in alkaloid content of Coptis chinensis (Huanglian), from its related American species

The growing popularity of Chinese herbal medicine in the United States has prompted large-scale import of raw herbs from Asia. Many of the Asian herbs have phylogenetically related North American species. We c...

Authors: Shreya Kamath, Matthew Skeels and Aswini Pai

Chinese medicines as a resource for liver fibrosis treatment

Liver fibrosis is a condition of abnormal proliferation of connective tissue due to various types of chronic liver injury often caused by viral infection and chemicals. Effective therapies against liver fibros...

Authors: Yibin Feng, Kwok-Fan Cheung, Ning Wang, Ping Liu, Tadashi Nagamatsu and Yao Tong

Quasi-MSⁿ identification of flavanone 7-glycoside isomers in Da Chengqi Tang by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Da Chengqi Tang (DCT) is a common purgative formula in Chinese medicine. Flavanones are its major active compounds derived from Fructus Aurantii Immaturus. The present study developed an LC-MS/MS method to charac...

Authors: Fengguo Xu, Ying Liu, Zunjian Zhang, Cheng Yang and Yuan Tian

In vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of acetylshikonin isolated from Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst (Ruanzicao) cell suspension cultures

Shikonin derivatives have cytotoxic and antitumor effects. This study aims to investigate the antitumor effects of acetylshikonin isolated from a Chinese medicinal herb Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst.

Authors: Wenbi Xiong, Gang Luo, Liming Zhou, Yun Zeng and Wenji Yang

Effects of triptolide from Radix Tripterygium wilfordii (Leigongteng) on cartilage cytokines and transcription factor NF-κB: a study on induced arthritis in rats

Triptolide, an active compound of Radix Tripterygium wilfordii, is immunosuppressive, cartilage protective and anti-inflammatory both in human and animal studies of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, i...

Authors: Cheng Xiao, Jing Zhou, Yinghui He, Hongwei Jia, Linhua Zhao, Ning Zhao and Aiping Lu

Effect of Fuzheng Huayu formula and its actions against liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is a common histological process to develop into cirrhosis in various chronic liver diseases including chronic hepatitis and fatty liver. Therefore anti-liver fibrosis is very important strategy...

Authors: Chenghai Liu, Yiyang Hu, Lieming Xu, Cheng Liu and Ping Liu

Hypoglycemic herbs and their action mechanisms

Conventional drugs treat diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity, increasing insulin production and/or decreasing the amount of glucose in blood. Several herbal preparations are used to treat diabetes, but t...

Authors: Hongxiang Hui, George Tang and Vay Liang W Go

Probing the mystery of Chinese medicine meridian channels with special emphasis on the connective tissue interstitial fluid system, mechanotransduction, cells durotaxis and mast cell degranulation

This article hypothesizes that the Chinese medicine meridian system is a special channel network comprising of skin with abundant nerves and nociceptive receptors of various types, and deeper connective tissue...

Authors: Peter Chin Wan Fung

Evaluation of Applied Kinesiology meridian techniques by means of surface electromyography (sEMG): demonstration of the regulatory influence of antique acupuncture points

The use of Applied Kinesiology techniques based on manual muscle tests relies on the relationship between muscles and acupuncture meridians. Applied Kinesiology detects body dysfunctions based on changes in mu...

Authors: Roy Moncayo and Helga Moncayo

Further validation of the Health Scale of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HSTCM)

Few health measurement scales are based on Chinese medicine theory. The Health Scale of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HSTCM) was developed to fill this gap. The aim of this study is to validate the HSTCM.

Authors: Darong Wu, Shilong Lai, Luojing Zhou, Xinfeng Guo, Weixiong Liang, Zehuai Wen, Aihua Ou, Guangqing Zhang and Keji Chen

Recent developments of acupuncture in Australia and the way forward

Almost one in ten Australians has received acupuncture treatment by acupuncturists and/or medical doctors in private clinics. The majority of Australian health insurance funds offer rebates for acupuncture. St...

Authors: Charlie Changli Xue, Anthony Lin Zhang, Angela Weihong Yang, Claire Shuiqing Zhang and David Frederick Story

Effects of Astragaloside IV on heart failure in rats

Astragaloside IV (ASI) in Radix Astragali is believed to be the active component in treating heart failure. The present study aims to examine the effects of ASI on cardiovascular parameters in long-term heart fai...

Authors: Zhuanyou Zhao, Weiting Wang, Fang Wang, Kerui Zhao, Yingmei Han, Weiren Xu and Lida Tang

Stimulation of Apolipoprotein A-IV expression in Caco-2/TC7 enterocytes and reduction of triglyceride formation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by potential anti-obesity Chinese herbal medicines

Chinese medicine has been proposed as a novel strategy for the prevention of metabolic disorders such as obesity. The present study tested 17 Chinese medicinal herbs were tested for their potential anti-obesit...

Authors: Ava Jiangyang Guo, Roy Chi-yan Choi, Anna Wing-han Cheung, Jun Li, Ivy Xiaoying Chen, Tina Tingxia Dong, Karl Wah-keung Tsim and Brad Wing-chuen Lau

Moxibustion and other acupuncture point stimulation methods to treat breech presentation: a systematic review of clinical trials

Moxibustion, acupuncture and other acupoint stimulations are commonly used for the correction of breech presentation. This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxibustion and other ac...

Authors: Xun Li, Jun Hu, Xiaoyi Wang, Huirui Zhang and Jianping Liu

Study designs of randomized controlled trials not based on Chinese medicine theory are improper

Current biomedical research methods to evaluate the efficacy of Chinese medicine interventions are often conceptually incompatible with the theory and clinical practice of Chinese medicine. In this commentary,...

Authors: Jian Yan, Veronica F Engle, Yuxin He, Yan Jiao and Weikuan Gu

Effects of Fructus Piperis Longi extract on fibrotic liver of gamma-irradiated rats

A major biomarker for liver fibrosis is transglutaminase which catalyzes cross-linking of epsilon-amines and alpha-glutamyl residues among amino acids leading to fibrosis. Fructus Piperis Longi is a common herb u...

Authors: Somaya Zakaria Mansour and Hanan El-Kabany

Minimal acupuncture is not a valid placebo control in randomised controlled trials of acupuncture: a physiologist's perspective

Placebo-control of acupuncture is used to evaluate and distinguish between the specific effects and the non-specific ones. During 'true' acupuncture treatment in general, the needles are inserted into acupoint...

Authors: Iréne Lund, Jan Näslund and Thomas Lundeberg

The immediate effects of local and adjacent acupuncture on the tibialis anterior muscle: a human study

This study compares the immediate effects of local and adjacent acupuncture on the tibialis anterior muscle and the amount of force generated or strength in Kilogram Force (KGF) evaluated by a surface electrom...

Authors: Larissa Araujo Costa and João Eduardo de Araujo

CHINESE MEDICINE (CM) matters

Authors: Chun Un, Lorita Cheang, Jerry Lei, Siu-wai Leung and Hin Wing Yeung

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis and some other medicinal plants commonly used in South-East Asia

Eight medicinal plants were tested for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Different extraction methods were also tested for their effects on the bioactivities of the medicinal plants.

Authors: Lai Wah Chan, Emily LC Cheah, Constance LL Saw, Wanyu Weng and Paul WS Heng

Effects of tender point acupuncture on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) – a pragmatic trial

Acupuncture is used to reduce inflammation and decrease pain in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This study investigates the efficacy of acupuncture on the symptoms of DOMS.

Authors: Kazunori Itoh, Hideki Ochi and Hiroshi Kitakoji

Prescription profile of potentially aristolochic acid containing Chinese herbal products: an analysis of National Health Insurance data in Taiwan between 1997 and 2003

Some Chinese herbal products (CHPs) may contain aristolochic acid (AA) or may be adulterated by the herbs suspected of containing AA which is nephrotoxic and carcinogenic. This study aims to identify the risk ...

Authors: Shu-Ching Hsieh, I-Hsin Lin, Wei-Lum Tseng, Chang-Hsing Lee and Jung-Der Wang

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) and cancer prevention: a systematic review of randomized trials and epidemiological studies

Green tea is one of the most popular beverages worldwide. This review summarizes the beneficial effects of green tea on cancer prevention.

Authors: Jianping Liu, Jianmin Xing and Yutong Fei

Recent advances in the investigation of curcuminoids

More than 30 Curcuma species (Zingiberaceae) are found in Asia, where the rhizomes of these plants are used as both food and medicine, such as in traditional Chinese medicine. The plants are usually aromatic and ...

Authors: Hideji Itokawa, Qian Shi, Toshiyuki Akiyama, Susan L Morris-Natschke and Kuo-Hsiung Lee

Anti-inflammatory effects of Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae (Qinjiao), Rhizoma Coptidis (Huanglian) and Citri Unshiu Pericarpium (Wenzhou migan) in animal models

KHU14, an ethanolic extract of Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae (Qinjiao), Rhizoma Coptidis (Huanglian) and Citri Unshiu Pericarpium (Wenzhou migan) was tested for its anti-inflammatory effects.

Authors: Kyoung Soo Kim, Hae In Rhee, Eun Kyung Park, Kiwon Jung, Hyo Jin Jeon, Ji-Hong Kim, Hunseung Yoo, Chang-Kyun Han, Yong-Baik Cho, Chun Jeih Ryu, Hyung In Yang and Myung Chul Yoo

Recent advances in the compound-oriented and pattern-oriented approaches to the quality control of herbal medicines

The current approaches to the quality control of herbal medicines are either compound-oriented or pattern-oriented, the former targeting specific components with some known chemical properties and the latter t...

Authors: Zhongda Zeng, Foo-tim Chau, Hoi-yan Chan, Chui-yee Cheung, Tsui-yan Lau, Shuiyin Wei, Daniel Kam-wah Mok, Chi-on Chan and Yizeng Liang

Effects of ginsenosides Re and Rg3 on intracellular redox state and cell proliferation in C6 glioma cells

Cellular redox state is important to cell growth and death. The growth of tumor cells may be modulated by intracellular reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG). The present study aims to investigat...

Authors: Wai Yee Ng and Mildred S Yang

Chemical markers for the quality control of herbal medicines: an overview

Selection of chemical markers is crucial for the quality control of herbal medicines, including authentication of genuine species, harvesting the best quality raw materials, evaluation of post-harvesting handl...

Authors: Songlin Li, Quanbin Han, Chunfeng Qiao, Jingzheng Song, Chuen Lung Cheng and Hongxi Xu

An optimized high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for benzoylmesaconine determination in Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata (Fuzi, aconite roots) and its products

Benzoylmesaconine (BMA) is the main Aconitum alkaloid in Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata (Fuzi, aconite roots) with potent pharmacological activities, such as analgesia and anti-inflammation. The present study ...

Authors: Ying Xie, Hua Zhou, Yuen Fan Wong, Zhongqiu Liu, Hongxi Xu, Zhihong Jiang and Liang Liu

Simultaneous determination of eight major bioactive compounds in Dachengqi Tang (DT) by high-performance liquid chromatography

Dachengqi Tang (DT) is a common traditional Chinese medicine formula for expelling neire ('internal heat') in the stomach and intestines. There was no reliable analytical method available for the quality control ...

Authors: Wenfu Tang, Meihua Wan, Zhengyan Zhu, Guanyuan Chen and Xi Huang

Chinese red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus-fermented rice) promotes bone formation

Statin can induce the gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2. Red yeast rice (RYR, Hongqu), i.e. rice fermented with Monascus purpureus, contains a natural form of statin. This study demonstrates the eff...

Authors: Ricky WK Wong and Bakr Rabie

Metabolic profiling reveals therapeutic effects of Herba Cistanches in an animal model of hydrocortisone-induced 'kidney-deficiency syndrome'

Herba Cistanches (Roucongrong) is effective in treating Shenxu Zheng ('kidney-deficiency syndrome'). However, the mechanisms and systemic metabolic responses to the herbal intervention are unclear.

Authors: Yunping Qiu, Minjun Chen, Mingming Su, Guoxiang Xie, Xin Li, Mingmei Zhou, Aihua Zhao, Jian Jiang and Wei Jia

A pilot study on using acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA)

The present study tests whether a combined treatment of acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is more effective than acupuncture or TENS alone for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Authors: Kazunori Itoh, Satoko Hirota, Yasukazu Katsumi, Hideki Ochi and Hiroshi Kitakoji

Effects of Yinchenhao Tang and related decoctions on DMN-induced cirrhosis/fibrosis in rats

Chinese medicine decoctions such as Yinchenhao Tang (YCHT), Xiayuxue Tang (XYXT), Huangqi Tang (HQT), Yiguan Jian (YGJ) and Xiaochaihu Tang (XCHT)) were used to treat liver cirrhosis. The present study evaluates ...

Authors: Cheng Liu, Mingyu Sun, Lei Wang, Gaoqiang Wang, Gaofeng Chen, Chenghai Liu and Ping Liu