Assessment of traditional Chinese medicine pattern in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model: A pilot studyOA

Objective:To initially explore traditional Chinese medicine patterns in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model.Methods:Thirty-six C57 BL/6 mice were divided by the random number table method(with 12 rats per group) into three groups:a blank group,a model group,and a number 2 Feibi recipe(FBR-2) group.The pulmonary fibrosis mouse model was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin.The FBR-2 group was treated with FBR-2 for 4 weeks.Symptoms in the mice such as mental behav...     

The use of plants in the medical system of the Fulni-ô people (NE Brazil): a perspective on age and gender

Objectives

The loss of traditional knowledge and practices is currently a widely discussed topic in the academic literature. From this perspective, this study was constructed with the main goals of evaluating Fulni-ô Indians’ knowledge about medicinal plants and how this knowledge is influenced by age and gender. Additionally, this study seeks to identify the sites where these resources are collected.

Methods

In order to meet our intended objectives, we performed a stratified sampling of the population; 344 indigenous persons were interviewed in an open-ended format.

Results

Although a total of 245 ethnospecies were mentioned overall, more than 50% of these plants were known by no more than three indigenous persons, which could indicate that such knowledge was not widely shared. Evaluating the influence of age, we identified a strong tendency for older persons to know more about medicinal plants than those in younger age groups. However, a critical analysis of the informants’ age groups demonstrated that significant differences were present only among some of these groups. The oldest group of indigenous people (>75 years) had inferior knowledge about medicinal plants and the diversity of the ethnospecies they cited was similar to the younger age groups. In relation to gender, men cited a total of 196 different ethnospecies and 82 of these species were exclusive to their group. Also, men have their specific ethnospecies not mentioned by women. Women cited 165 species and 51 were exclusive to their group. This indicates that although women generally held less knowledge of ethnospecies than the men, they did discuss a set of ethnospecies that were not mentioned by men. However, men on average cited more ethnospecies than women and this data support the existence of differences between the sexes.

Conclusions

Despite the lack of substantial variation in the number of ethnospecies cited by men and women on the individual level, the differences between the sexes as groups were significant. Diverse collection sources were used to attend to the therapeutic needs of the Fulni-ô Indians. Among the most important collection sites, anthropogenic areas were the primary collection sites for women, followed by the Ouricuri Forest, which was the main collection site for male indigenous persons.     

Ethnopharmacology of liakra: traditional weedy vegetables of the Arbëreshë of the Vulture area in southern Italy

An ethnobiological field study on food plants and medicinal foods traditionally consumed in three Arb?resh (ethnic Albanian) communities in northern Lucania (southern Italy) document approximately 120 botanical taxa used for these purposes. Non-domesticated food vegetables (liakra), mostly gathered during the spring season, play a central role as traditional functional food. Quantitative ethnobotanical, ethnotaxonomical, ethnoecological, ethnogastronomical, and ethnopharmacological aspects related to gathering, processing, cooking and consumption of liakra are discussed. Unusual food species, such as Lycium europeaum, Centaurea calcitrapa, and a few spontaneous weedy Asteraceae and Brassicaceae species are locally used in the kitchen. Most of these are very poorly known phytochemically and phytopharmacologically. Moreover, an analysis of taste perception of the most commonly used botanical foods was conducted in the village of Ginestra. Arb?resh taste classification and indigenous criteria related to the perception of bitter taste in considering non-cultivated plants as food or medicine are discussed as well.     

Optimization of evidence-based research in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease with traditional Chinese medicine: A comprehensive reviewOA

Coronary heart disease(CHD) has severely impacted the lives and health of patients for ages. Although the modern methods used for the prevention and treatment of CHD have been increasingly perfected,clinical problems remain that require solutions. In the prevention and treatment of CHD with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), great therapeutic advantages have been demonstrated. However, the expression of its advantages relies on scientific evidence-based research and evaluation, which require fur...     

The traditional Chinese medicine prescription patterns of Sjögren׳s patients in Taiwan: A population-based study

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), when given for symptom relief, have gained widespread popularity among Sjögren?s patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the utilization of TCM among Sjögren?s patients in Taiwan.

Materials and methods

The usage, frequency of service, and the Chinese herbal products prescribed among Sjögren?s patients were evaluated in a cohort of 1,000,000 beneficiaries recruited from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The logistic regression method was employed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for utilization of a TCM.

Results

More than 90% of Sjögren?s patients received TCM out-patient services at least once during the study period. Patients with secondary Sjögren?s syndrome were more likely to seek TCM treatment than those with primary Sjögren?s syndrome. The aOR for those suffering from at least one rheumatologic disease was 1.56 (95% CI: 1.26–1.93), those with two rheumatologic diseases was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.29–3.04), while those with three or more rheumatologic diseases was 7.86 (95% CI: 1.09–56.58). Compared to Sjögren?s patients who used no medical treatment, the aOR for those who took one type of conventional medication was 1.55 (95% CI: 1.25–1.92), those who took two types was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.60–2.47) while those who took three or more types was 2.91 (95% CI: 2.20–3.84). Qi-Ju-Di-Huang-Wan (Lycium Berry, Chrysanthemum, and Rehmannia Pill) was the most frequently prescribed formula among Sjögren?s patients.

Conclusion

Qi-Ju-Di-Huang-Wan is the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula for Sjögren?s syndrome and its effects should be taken into account by healthcare providers.     

Integrating traditional Chinese medicine into mainstream healthcare system in Hong Kong,China——A model of integrative medicine in the HKU-SZ Hospital

The European Congress for Integrative Medicine 2015 Global Summit on Integrative Medicine and Healthcare in Greater Copenhagen has successfully promoted integrative medicine to the public once again. Integrative medicine, which is called the art and science of healthcare by Nordic Integrative Medicine, has been widely used in the world. In Hong Kong, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, which is also known as the Chinese version of integrative medicine, provides a valuable reference for the development of integrative medicine in the world. In this article, we introduce the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong and an integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine model in the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital.     

Quality assessment of systematic reviews assessing the effects of traditional Chinese exercises in the control of diabetes mellitusOA

Objective: To assess the quality of systematic reviews assessing the effects of traditional Chinese exercises on controlling blood indices, anthropometric indices, psychological indices, and quality of life in patients with diabetes.Methods: Systematic studies/meta-analyses of intervention with traditional Chinese exercises on diabetes mellitus were searched in the Pub Med, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Databases(CNKI), Wan Fang Database, and Chinese Scientific Jour...     

What's in a name? A systematic review of the nomenclature of Chinese medical formulae

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been modified to some extent in other Far Eastern countries such as Korea and Japan. Researchers of each of the three countries seem to use different English names for the same Chinese medicinal formulae. Lack of knowledge of the Chinese characters is destined to increase this confusion. In order to investigate this matter systematically, all investigations of Chinese medicine formulae published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine (AJCM, 1997-March 2001) were evaluated. Moreover, PubMed (1966-June 2001) was searched using keywords differentiated by language, location and number of hyphens, and upper-or lower-case of the first letter of the English equivalent of each Chinese character. Fifty-four formulae of TCM were identified in 45 reports published in AJCM. Thirty-two were named in Chinese only (23 reports); six in Japanese (six reports); and five in Korean (five reports). Ten formulae were named in Japanese with the Chinese name in brackets (ten reports); and one in Chinese with the Japanese name in brackets (one report). By computerized literature search, different numbers of research papers were retrieved by using keywords differentiated by language, location and number of hyphens. Such confusion may prevent progress in the evaluation of TCM. To increase the efficiency of studies on Chinese medical formulae, standardization of terminology is required.     

Effects and mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicines on functional dyspepsia: A reviewOA

Functional dyspepsia(FD) is a common and frequently occurring disease in clinic. With the infuence of environmental factors, social factors and dietary factors, the incidence rate of FD in the general population is yearly increasing. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history and far-reaching infuence in the treatment of FD. It can prevent and treat FD in the form of multiple-components, targets and channels,with obvious effect and prominent advantages. This article starts with the common s...     

An investigation of the influence of intestinal flora in external traditional Chinese medicine therapyOA

External therapy, which has been used for millennia to treat disease, has now become the newest member of complementary and alternative therapies. A growing number of clinical studies and animal experiments have shown that external therapy exerts a positive effect on the intestinal flora. In this paper, we review the research related to external therapy on various systemic diseases and focus on changes in the intestinal flora. We found that studies on external therapy are dominated by acupunctur...     

现代研究对中医“胃气”的认识

“胃气”是中医学的重要概念,本文对近年来“胃气”的现代研究情况进行归纳,主要围绕“胃气”与血流动力、免疫功能、胃肠机能(胃肠物质、胃肠动力、胃肠营养)三方面进行阐述,以达到更好地认识胃气、重视胃气、顾护胃气的目的。     

Integrated therapeutic plasma exchange and traditional Chinese medicine treatment in a patient with severe COVID-19: A case report

This report presents the case of a 59-year-old man with severe COVID-19 that gradually progressed to cytokine release syndrome and then acute respiratory distress syndrome; he was successfully treated via integration of therapeutic plasma exchange and traditional Chinese medicine. The patient initially presented with a sore throat, severe muscle aches, productive cough and fever. On the worsening of symptoms, remdesivir was administered. However, as the symptoms continued to worsen and a cytokine release syndrome was suspected, oxygen was provided through a high-flow nasal cannula (50 L/min) and therapeutic plasma exchange was performed to prevent worsening of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. On the same day, a course of traditional Chinese medicine was introduced in consultation with the infectious house staff. The patient’s symptoms gradually improved; the levels of C-reactive protein and D-dimers reduced, and the patient was weaned to a simple oxygen mask and eventually to room air. This is the first reported case of the integration of these treatments. Together, they prevented the patient from requiring intubation, played a role in cytokine management, and also improved the clinical symptoms, including productive purulent sputum, cough, frequent stool passage and intermittent fever, with no adverse effects. As a result, the patient was discharged within two weeks of the integration of these treatments. Therefore, the integration of therapeutic plasma exchange and traditional Chinese medicine is an effective therapy for patients with severe COVID-19.     

The scorpion in Spanish folk medicine: A review of traditional remedies for stings and its use as a therapeutic resource

Ethnopharmacological relevance

While scorpionism is not a serious public health problem in Spain, traditional Spanish knowledge has retained a large number of plant-based and animal-based remedies for scorpion stings. Additionally, this arthropod plays an important role in the treatment of its own sting and has become a significant therapeutic resource in the treatment of several human pathologies. These remedies are distributed across a large number of references.

Materials and methods

A thorough review of Spanish literature has been conducted in the fields of folklore, ethnography, ethnomedicine, ethnobotany, ethnozoology, social anthropology and medical anthropology from the early twentieth century to the present. Automated searches in national and international databases have been performed.

Results

The results include more than 110 traditional remedies for scorpion stings. Forty- eight remedies are based on the use of 29 vascular plants in 19 different botanical families. This listing of useful plants is broader than that provided by other researchers studying neighboring areas. Seventeen remedies based on the use of nine animal species, including humans, are also reported. Remedies have also been documented involving mud and water, while other remedies indicate the use of scorpions (crushed and applied directly). Many remedies emphasize the topical use of “scorpion oil” (i.e., oil from fried scorpions). Two remedies are based on the maceration of scorpions in alcohol. In most cases, topical remedies are applied locally on the affected area. There is also some use of magical remedies as well. The scorpion has also been used as a major component in 22 Spanish remedies and healing rituals associated with 17 human pathologies.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates the importance of the scorpion in Spanish folk medicine. In general, the remedies evaluated mix magic and empiricism. The data we obtained may represent relevant background knowledge for studies aimed at developing and applying new therapeutic remedies for scorpion stings and other human pathologies. The data also invites further research to determine the validity of these folk remedies.     

"一带一路"背景下阿拉伯国家中医药发展现状

近年来,我国对阿拉伯国家的中药商品进出口贸易额呈逐年增长趋势.随着我国"一带一路"战略的逐步推进,阿拉伯国家成为"一带一路"建设的天然、重要的合作伙伴.为了更好地促进中医药在阿拉伯国家的传播与发展,我们应当差异化、有针对性地与相关国家开展交流与合作.海湾国家经济发达,国民生活水平高,适合发展中医药货物贸易与服务贸易;沙姆地区国家有较强的传统医药研发优势,适合开展各类学术交流活动;北非国家同中国有着深厚的传统友谊,适合通过中国援外医疗队推广和传播中医药.与此同时,我们还应以孔子学院和海外中国文化中心为平台传播中医药文化,加强与对象国医学院校和科研机构的合作,招收更多的阿拉伯留学生来华学习中医,尽快制定中医基本名词术语中阿对照国际标准,以及开展针对阿拉伯-伊斯兰传统医学的研究.     

Isolation and characterisation of (−)-genifuranal: The principal antimicrobial component in traditional smoking applications of Eremophila longifolia (Scrophulariaceae) by Australian aboriginal peoples

Ethnopharmacological significance

Eremophila longifolia is considered by some Australian Aboriginal tribal groups to be among the most significant of the medicinal plants in contemporary and traditional use. Usage modalities traditionally involved lipophilic extraction into animal fats and most importantly, ceremonial or medicinal smoking applications, involving the fumigation of mothers and infants following childbirth or boys following circumcision. An attempt was made to replicate the smoking modalities used by Australian Aboriginal people in the laboratory to identify bioactive compounds.

Materials and methods

Two methods were used to produce smoke extracts; smoke was channelled through a condenser then bubbled into solvent, or bubbled directly into H₂O then partitioned into chloroform followed by butanol. Extracts were used, firstly for antimicrobial screening using micro-titre plate broth dilution to produce minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), and secondly for chemical analysis. Structure elucidation of an abundant compound isolated from the smoke extract was performed using 2D-NMR and derivatisation.

Results

Significant antimicrobial activity (<1.0 mg/ml) was produced using the smoke extracts against the Gram-positive species Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and the yeast Candida albicans. A major component of the smoke with strong antimicrobial activity (0.13–0.5 mg/ml) was isolated which we have named (−)-genifuranal. Structure elucidation using 2D-NMR and derivatisation demonstrated genifuranal to be 5,6-dihydro-4H-cyclopenta[c]furan-4-ylacetaldehyde. Genifuranal is not observed in the leaves before heating, but is produced in the smoking or heating process and is thought to derive from hydrolysis and rearrangement of geniposidic acid or a related glycoside. Only geographically specific specimens of Eremophila longifolia produced (−)-genifuranal, which strongly supports previous hypothesised geographical variation in traditional usage, reflective of phytochemical variation.

Conclusion

It would appear that genifuranal is the medicinal principal involved in traditional use of Eremophila longifolia when smoking modalities are used. Topical treatments traditionally produced by lipophilic extraction into animal fats are not likely to have had genifuranal present, as the mechanism for its formation requires heat.     

Management of diabetes in Guinean traditional medicine: An ethnobotanical investigation in the coastal lowlands

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This survey was carried out in the coastal lowlands of Guinea–Conakry in order to make an inventory of plants used by traditional healers, herbalists and diabetic patients for the management of diabetes mellitus.

Materials and methods

Frequent ethnomedical and ethnobotanical investigations were conducted from June 2008 to December 2009 in Conakry, Kindia, Forécariah, Dubréka, Boke, Fria and Boffa. It is a cross-sectional survey and data collection is based on the interactive method. During this period a total of 112 people aged from 39 to 76 years old were interviewed.

Results

During this investigation 146 plant species belonging to 55 families were collected. The most cited plants were Anacardium occidentale L. and Ficus spp., while the Fabaceae family was the most represented, followed by the Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae. The most frequently plant parts used by the traditional healers and the herbalists were the stem-bark and decoctions the most common preparation mode.

Conclusions

It is clear that a variety of plants is used in the management and treatment of diabetes. Due to the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, there is an urgent need for scientific investigations to rationalise the use of these traditional remedies, which could represent accessible alternative medicines for the Guinean populations.     

Current state of cancer patient care incorporating Thai traditional medicine in Thailand: A qualitative study

ObjectiveTo assess the current state of cancer treatment incorporating Thai traditional medicine (TTM) and to identify problems in the system, by using the health system framework of the World Health Organization.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted by interviewing three groups of people involved in the healthcare system. The groups were constructed via purposive sampling of patients with cancer, caregivers and service providers. The study groups included 37 individuals from five TTM hospitals. In-depth interviews were conducted from October 2017 to March 2018. The interview questions were developed based on the six building blocks of a health system framework. Free form answers from participants were analyzed and interpreted to develop the study conclusions.ResultsAll five TTM hospitals provided treatment to patients with cancer based on provincial public health policy. The policy allows patients with cancer to obtain TTM services in outpatient and inpatient departments and via home visits; most patients used outpatient services. The TTM services were primarily provided by TTM practitioners and included massage, herbal steam, herbal compress and meditation. Herbal medicines were widely used and included Benja-amarit, an anticancer formulation made from Wat Khampramong and Phytoplex. The problems included poor acceptance of TTM practitioners by other healthcare practitioners, lack of experience among TTM practitioners in treating patients with cancer, lack of herbal medicine research trials, contamination in herbal medicine preparations and absence of practical treatment guidelines.ConclusionTTM is an alternative treatment modality for patients with cancer and is supported by a national policy in Thailand. To increase accountability to patients and other practitioners, TTM treatments should be refined to rely on scientific principles and practitioners of TTM should receive academic training. Practical treatment guidelines need to be established and thoroughly disseminated to TTM practitioners.     

Examining patterns of traditional Chinese medicine use in pediatric oncology: A systematic review,meta-analysis and data-mining study

BackgroundTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is becoming a popular complementary approach in pediatric oncology. However, few or no meta-analyses have focused on clinical studies of the use of TCM in pediatric oncology.ObjectiveWe explored the patterns of TCM use and its efficacy in children with cancer, using a systematic review, meta-analysis and data mining study.Search strategyWe conducted a search of five English (Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov) and four Chinese databases (Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database) for clinical studies published before October 2021, using keywords related to “pediatric,” “cancer,” and “TCM.”Inclusion criteriaWe included studies which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or observational clinical studies, focused on patients aged < 19 years old who had been diagnosed with cancer, and included at least one group of subjects receiving TCM treatment.Data extraction and analysisThe methodological quality of RCTs and observational studies was assessed using the six-item Jadad scale and the Effective Public Healthcare Panacea Project Quality Assessment Tool, respectively. Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of combining TCM with chemotherapy. Study outcomes included the treatment response rate and occurrence of cancer-related symptoms. Association rule mining (ARM) was used to investigate the associations among medicinal herbs and patient symptoms.ResultsThe 54 studies included in this analysis were comprised of RCTs (63.0%) and observational studies (37.0%). Most RCTs focused on hematological malignancies (41.2%). The study outcomes included chemotherapy-induced toxicities (76.5%), infection rate (35.3%), and response, survival or relapse rate (23.5%). The methodological quality of most of the RCTs (82.4%) and observational studies (80.0%) was rated as “moderate.” In studies of leukemia patients, adding TCM to conventional treatment significantly improved the clinical response rate (odds ratio [OR] = 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49–4.36), lowered infection rate (OR = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.13–0.40), and reduced nausea and vomiting (OR = 0.13; 95% CI = 0.08–0.23). ARM showed that Radix Astragali, the most commonly used medicinal herb (58.0%), was associated with treating myelosuppression, gastrointestinal complications, and infection.ConclusionThere is growing evidence that TCM is an effective adjuvant therapy for children with cancer. We proposed a checklist to improve the quality of TCM trials in pediatric oncology. Future work will examine the use of ARM techniques on real-world data to evaluate the efficacy of medicinal herbs and drug-herb interactions in children receiving TCM as a part of integrated cancer therapy.     

The traditional Chinese medicine prescription patterns for migraine patients in Taiwan: A population-based study

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), when given for symptom relief, has gained widespread popularity among migraine patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the utilization of TCM among migraine patients in Taiwan.