The quest for modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an integral part of mainstream medicine in China. Due to its worldwide use, potential impact on healthcare and opportunities for new drug development, TCM is also of great international interest. Recently, a new era for modernisation of TCM was launched with the successful completion of the Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era (GP-TCM) project, the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) coordination action on TCM research. This 3.5-year project that involved inputs from over 200 scientists resulted in the production of 20 editorials and in-depth reviews on different aspects of TCM that were published in a special issue of Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2012; volume 140, issue 3). In this narrative review, we aim to summarise the findings of the FP7 GP-TCM project and highlight the relevance of TCM to modern medicine within a historical and international context. Advances in TCM research since the 1950s can be characterised into three phases: Phase I (1950s-1970s) was fundamental for developing TCM higher education, research and hospital networks in China; Phase II (1980s-2000s) was critical for developing legal, economic and scientific foundations and international networks for TCM; and Phase III (2011 onwards) is concentrating on consolidating the scientific basis and clinical practice of TCM through interdisciplinary, interregional and intersectoral collaborations. Taking into account the quality and safety requirements newly imposed by a globalised market, we especially highlight the scientific evidence behind TCM, update the most important milestones and pitfalls, and propose integrity, integration and innovation as key principles for further modernisation of TCM. These principles will serve as foundations for further research and development of TCM, and for its future integration into tomorrow’s medicine.

Neuroprotective effect of a novel Chinese herbal decoction on cultured neurons and cerebral ischemic rats

“…First, the PSR extract, although a complex molecular mixture, can be further investigated and developed for stroke treatment. Such effort requires the preparation of a quality-controlled extract from the seven constituent herbs, which in turn relies on standardized good practice to ensure the use of high quality herbs, a consistent procedure for extract preparation and chemical profiling to validate the quality the extract [78, 79]. Alternatively, the extract can be simplified by systematically purifying molecular fractions from the seven herbs, identifying the active molecules, and mixing the active molecules in optimized molar ratio to generate a cocktail which can achieve the best neuroprotective effects.…”

Biological activity and toxicity of the Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis Rehder & E. Wilson (Houpo) and its constituents

“…Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a more than 2500-year history and consists of the development of major theories and clinical investigations carried out by generations of practitioners and researchers (Fazel, 1995;Unschuld, 1999;Wang and Li, 2005;Tang et al, 2008;Xu et al, 2013). Different Magnolia have been traditionally used in Chinese and Japanese medicine for thousands of years and are now widely used internationally.…”

In vitro genotoxicity tests point to an unexpected and harmful effect of a Magnolia and Aristolochia association

“…complex mixtures of compounds (Xu et al 2013). Although the efficacy and safety of many herbs have not been assessed with sufficient levels of evidence, patients and consumers often tend to consider these as both active and innocuous.…”