Advances in Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Chinese Medicine

Abstract

“Timely, near, and expectation” is the main principle of battlefield rescue for military combat stress reaction (CSR). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common form of CSR and a long-term persistent mental disorder that is caused by unusual threatening or catastrophic psychological trauma. Chinese medicine (CM) has abundant resources, is simple, easy to master, with few side effects. This article summarizes the cellular and animal experimental mechanisms of CM treatment on PTSD, suggesting that traditional Chinese herbs and acupuncture can protect brain functional areas, and adjust hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Traditional Chinese herbs and acupuncture have shown good anti-stress efficacy and fewer side effects in clinical application, which may improve the CSR in the battlefield.

The cross-disciplinary integration of acupuncture and modern medicine: an analysis from the perspective of subject categories

“…Chanya Inprasit conducted a study on the reduction of Complete Freund's Adjuvant pain caused by electroacupuncture by regulating TRPV1 19 . According to HU 20 research, acupuncture and Chinese medicine combined with stress have a good effect with fewer side effects. Pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and other adverse reactions often occur during the treatment of cancer patients, which are almost unavoidable in current medical treatment.…”

The effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine on suicidal behavior: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In East Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan, East Asian traditional medicines (EATMs) comprise an important portion of the medical system. [ 9 ] Two representative EATM modalities, acupuncture, and herbal medicine (HM), have been reported to have potentially beneficial clinical effects in major psychiatric disorders associated with suicide risk, including depressive disorders, [ 10 , 11 ] PTSD, [ 12 , 13 ] and substance use disorder. [ 14 , 15 ] Also, EATM modalities are often used in Western countries as a part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).…”

The Effect of Herbal Medicine on Suicidal Behavior: A Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Traditional East Asian medicines are sometimes considered as part of complementary and alternative medicine, but traditional East Asian medicines differ in three respects: traditional East Asian medicines (1) have been regarded as a dual medical system parallel to conventional medicine; (2) include some unique treatments based on their own theory; and (3) are covered in whole or in part by medical insurance coverage in some East Asian countries [14]. Some traditional East Asian medicine modalities, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, have been known to have potential clinical benefits for major suicidal behavior-associated psychiatric disorders, including depressive disorders [16,17], sleep disorders [18,19], and post-traumatic stress disorder [20,21]. Some herbal medicines have been shown to have anti-stress effects and have protective effects on the individual's stress response [22].…”

“…Therefore, some herbal medicines based on traditional East Asian medicine have been distributed to this public as herbal or dietary supplements [30]. Encouragingly, potential benefits of herbal medicine have been reported clinically for some conditions associated with suicide risks, such as depression, sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder [17,19,21,29]. For example, some herbal medicines based on traditional East Asian medicine, including Banxia houpo decoction, Chaihu shugan san, Ganmai dazao decoction, Kaixin san, Shugan jieyu capsules, Sini san, Wuling capsules, Xiaoyaosan, and Yeuju pill, have been widely used to treat depression for centuries, and there is preclinical and clinical evidence supporting their antidepressant effects [31,32].…”