The Current Clinical Practice of Herbal Medicine in Psychiatry in Mainland China: A Review of Literature

Abstract: The current clinical psychiatric practice of herbal medicine in the People's Republic of China was explored by reviewing the literature. The results found in many of the articles were lacking methodological strictness. Some reliable articles reported that certain herbal medicines were effective for psychiatric conditions, and that a combination treatment of modern drugs with herbs was useful for the enhancement of the efficacy and the reduction of both recovery time and side effects. It is suggested that more sophisticated investigations are necessary to corroborate any conclusions concerning the value for herbal medicine in the psychiatric field.