The potential of Chinese herbal medicines in treating anxiety disorders

In recent years,there has not been much progress in developing anxiolytic drugs.Amongst the barriers are the lack of clarity on the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders,low product conversion rates for developing drugs targeting the receptors,and species variability.Some scientists have focused on natural medicines,especially herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine.New drugs with excellent anxiolytic activity are hoped to be found in herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects.This mini-review summarised three Chinese herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects and anxiolytic herbal formulas used in the traditional Chinese medicine clinic.Several key issues that block the development of new anxiolytic drugs are also discussed.We hope to provide some ideas for researching and developing new anxiolytic drugs and studying anxiolytic components in traditional Chinese medicine.

Model informed precision medicine of Chinese herbal medicines formulas-A multi-scale mechanistic intelligent model

Recent trends suggest that Chinese herbal medicine formulas(CHM formulas)are promising treatments for complex diseases.To characterize the precise syndromes,precise diseases and precise targets of the precise targets between complex diseases and CHM formulas,we developed an artificial intelligence-based quantitative predictive algorithm(DeepTCM).DeepTCM has gone through multilevel model calibration and validation against a comprehensive set of herb and disease data so that it accurately captures the complex cellular signaling,molecular and theoretical levels of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).As an example,our model simulated the optimal CHM formulas for the treatment of coronary heart disease(CHD)with depression,and through model sensitivity analysis,we calculated the balanced scoring of the formulas.Furthermore,we constructed a biological knowledge graph representing interactions by associating herb-target and gene-disease interactions.Finally,we experimentally confirmed the therapeutic effect and pharmacological mechanism of a novel model-predicted intervention in humans and mice.This novel multiscale model opened up a new avenue to combine“disease syndrome”and“macro micro”system modeling to facilitate translational research in CHM formulas.

Bioactive Components of Chinese Herbal Medicines in the Treatment of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism Disorders:Evidence and Potential Mechanisms

Disturbed cholesterol and glucose homeostasis play crucial roles in the development of various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases,cerebrovascular diseases,central nervous system diseases,and cancer.An increasing number of studies have shown that excessive body fat accumulation is associated with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance in a vicious cycle.This vicious cycle promotes the occurrence and development of the aforementioned diseases.Therefore,stabilizing the blood lipids and blood glucose of patients is the predominant strategy for improving the symptoms of patients with cardiovascular,cerebrovascular,and central nervous system diseases.Traditional Chinese medicine,mainly Chinese herbal medicine(CHM),has a history of more than 2000 years in China,which has established a unique theory and accumulated a great wealth of clinical experience.Moreover,CHM has been widely used in China and other countries for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases,with the advantages of preventing and curing hyperlipidemia,diabetes,hypertension,and other diseases.However,the use of CHM in Western countries remains rather limited,partly because of the incomplete understanding of multiple complex components and uncertain pharmacological mechanisms.Herein,we review and discuss the benefits,molecular mechanisms,and clinical research progress of bioactive components of CHM and their preparations as therapeutics for hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia.

Integration of Chinese herbal medicines and exercise for insomnia:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:As a disease,insomnia is often ignored by the general public.Insomnia,which not directly fatal,may be equivalent to chronic suicide if it is not paid attention to.However,there are many theories on how to treat insomnia,and researchers have been searching for a cure.Chinese herbal medicine(CHM)and exercise therapy(ET)are relatively effective,and have been used since ancient times to treat insomnia.This study aimed to examine the effect of CHM combined with ET(CHM-ET)on patients with insomnia.Methods:We searched eight electronic databases including PubMed,Web of Science,EMBASE,the Cochrane Library,the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),the China Biology Medicine disc(CBMdisc),the China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP),the Wanfang Database to find randomized controlled trials(RCTs)evaluating CHM-ET in the treatment of insomnia patients up to September 13,2022.Two researchers read and screened the publications to extract data.We used the pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)as the evaluation indicators for each study,and the other was the total effective rate(TER).The Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias of the included literature.The level of evidence for this result was assessed by GARDE method.The meta-analysis was performed using STATA 14 software and RevMan 5.3.The research method was registered with PROSPERO(CRD42022350926).Results:We included fourteen randomized controlled trials,which including a total of 1,126 participants.Compared with the control group,the experimental group showed significantly improvements in sleep effect as reflected by the reduced PSQI score[mean difference(MD)=-2.47,95%confidence interval(CI)(-3.15,-1.78),I^(2)=92%]with low quality of evidence,and increased TER[risk ratio(RR)=1.23,95%CI(1.14,1.33),I^(2)=40%]with moderate quality of evidence.Compared with hypnotic drugs,CHM-ET significantly reduced the PSQI score[mean difference(MD)=-3.18,95%CI(-5.48,-0.89),I^(2)=73%]with low quality of evidence.The PSQI of CHM-ET significantly decreased compared with single CHM[mean difference(MD)=-3.04,95%CI(-5.84,-0.25),I^(2)=98%]with low quality of evidence,and ET[mean difference(MD)=-2.44,95%CI(-2.87,-2.02),I^(2)=0%]with moderate quality of evidence.No serious adverse reactions were observed.Conclusion:This review suggested that CHM-ET may be an effective treatment for insomnia.However,given the limited quality of the studies and methodologies included in the trials,further rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed for more accurate results.

Effects of Salinity Fluctuation and Dietary Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicines on Survival,Growth and Immunity of Exopalaemon carinicauda

[Objective]The aim of this study was to provide a theoretical basis for the large-scale breeding of Exopalaemon carinicauda. [Method]Effects of salinity fluctuation （S0,S3,S6 and S9 represented salinity fluctuations of 0,3,6 and 9 respectivley） and dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicines （0,1%,2% and 4% respectively） on survival,growth and immunity of E.carinicauda were studied,and its experiment lasted for 60 d. [Result]The results showed that specific growth rate,feed conversion efficiency and superoxide dismutase activity of E.carinicauda in the treatment group with 1% dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicine and S6 salinity fluctuation were higher than those in other treatments,which was significantly higher than the treatment groups with S0,S3 and S9 salinity fluctuation at the same adding level of 1% dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The regression analysis indicated that at S0,S3 and S6 salinity fluctuation,the optimal adding level of dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicines in feeds decreased with the increase of salinity fluctuation,accounting for 2.74%,1.77% and 0.51% respectively. At four adding levels of dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicines,the optimal salinity fluctuation of E.carinicauda also decreased with the increase of dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicines in feeds,accounting for 5.26,4.95,3.54 and 1.97 respectively. [Conclusion]Salinity,dietary traditional Chinese herbal medicines and their interactions have a significant effect on survival,growth and immunity of E.carinicauda,which calls for attentions in the breeding.

Inhalation therapy for pulmonary fibrosis:chemical medicines and herbal medicines

Pulmonary fibrosis(PF)is a chronic,progressive,and irreversible pulmonary interstitial disease with unclear pathogenesis.Currently,there are few treatment options for managing PF.Inhalation therapy,as a routine treatment for respiratory diseases,is being used to study the treatment of PF.Some herbal medicines and their active ingredients have been reported to have anti-PF effects.This review aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in inhalation therapy,focusing on the utilization of chemical medicines and herbal medicines for the treatment of PF in both clinical practice and basic research.The inhalation of chemical drugs such as pirfenidone,nintedanib,N-acetylcysteine,and interferon-γhas been shown to demonstrate anti-PF effects.Additionally,the inhalation of various natural products derived from herbal medicines,encompassing polyphenols,alkaloids,flavonoids,saponins,terpenoids,and herbal extracts,contributes to the therapeutic management of PF through diverse mechanisms.The inhalation of both chemical and herbal medicines presents promising advantages in the treatment of PF.Further clinical trials are required to investigate the effectiveness,safety,and mechanism of action of inhalation therapy utilizing natural products derived from herbal medicines.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicines on Blood Ions and Enzymes of Egg-laying Hens Under Heat Stress

[Objective] This study was conducted to investigate the effects of tradi- tional Chinese herbal medicines on blood biochemical indices of egg-laying hens under heat stress and to provide theoretical basis for clinical application of the medicines. [Method] One hundred of 88-day-old ISA-Brown hens were randomly di- vided into five groups. The hens in four groups were administrated with Prescription I herbal medicines, Prescription II herbal medicines, Vc and blank control under ar- tificially simulated heat stress, respectively. The last group was raised under normal temperature condition. Blood samples of the hens were collected on 1, 4, 8 and 10 d later and detected for their biochemical indices. [Result] The blood sodium （Na）, phosphorus （P）, potassium （K） and chlorine （CI） concentrations in hens under heat stress were decreased, while the activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）, lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and creatine kinase （CK） were increased. These indices grad- ually returned to normal levels after the use of traditional Chinese herbal medicines. [Conclusion] The herbal medicines can relieve the adverse effects caused by heat stress to blood biochemical indices via different metabolic pathways of ions and en- zymes.

Screening test for anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of traditional Chinese herbal medicines

AIM:To evaluate the anti-Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) activity of 50 traditional Chinese herbal medicines in order to provide the primary evidence for their use in clinical practice.METHODS:A susceptibility test of water extract from 50 selected traditional Chinese herbal medicines for in vitro H.pylori Sydney strain 1 was performed with broth dilution method.Anti-H.pylori activity of the selected Chinese herbal medicines was evaluated according to their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).RESULTS:The water extract from Rhizoma Coptidis,Radix Scutellariae and Radix isatidis could significantly inhibit the H.pylori activity with their MIC less than 7.8 mg/mL,suggesting that traditional Chinese herbal medicines have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects and can thus be used in treatment of H.pylori infection.CONCLUSION:Rhizoma Coptidis,Radix Scutellariae and Radix isatidis are the potential sources for the synthesis of new drugs against H.pylori.

Herbal medicines and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), which is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver of patients who consume little or no alcohol, becomes increasingly common with rapid economic development. Long-term excess fat accumulation leads to NAFLD and represents a global health problem with no effective therapeutic approach. NAFLD is considered to be a series of complex, multifaceted pathological processes involving oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and metabolism. Over the past decades, herbal medicines have garnered growing attention as potential therapeutic agents to prevent and treat NAFLD, due to their high efficacy and low risk of side effects. In this review, we evaluate the use of herbal medicines(including traditional Chinese herbal formulas, crude extracts from medicinal plants, and pure natural products) to treat NAFLD. These herbal medicines are natural resources that can inform innovative drug research and the development of treatments for NAFLD in the future.

Research Progress in the Application of Chinese Herbal Medicines in Aquaculture： A Review

Due to increasing safety concerns regarding human consumption of fish products, an increasing number of medicinal chemicals are prohibited from use in aquaculture. As a result, Chinese herbal medicines are being increasingly used, coining the use of the term ＂green medicine.＂ Research shows that Chinese herbal medicines have many beneficial effects on fish, including growth promotion, enhancement of disease resistance, and improvement in meat quality. Many effective ingredients have been discovered in Chinese herbal medicines, which function to promote feed intake, improve meat flavor, and increase digestive enzyme activity. They also regulate and participate in processes that improve the specific and non-specific immunity of fish; however, the composition of Chinese herbal medicines is very complex and it is often difficult to identify the effective ingredients. This article reviews the latest research and application progress in Chinese herbal medicines regarding growth and feed utilization, immunity and disease resistance, and the meat quality of cultured fish. It also discusses research on the chemical constituents of classical Chinese medicinal herbs and problems with the application of Chinese herbal medicines in fish culture. This article concludes by proposing that future studies on Chinese herbal medicines should focus on how to cheaply refine and extract the effective ingredients in classical Chinese medicinal herbs, as well as how to use them efficiently in aquaculture.

Herbal medicines for the management of irritable bowelsyndrome:A comprehensive review

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gut disorder with high prevalence.Because of various factors involved in its pathophysiology and disappointing results from conventional IBS medications,the treatment of IBS is challenging and use of complementary and alternative medicines especially herbal therapies is increasing.In this paper,electronic databases including PubMed,Scopus,and Cochrane library were searched to obtain any in vitro,in vivo or human studies evaluating single or compound herbal preparations in the management of IBS.One in vitro,3 in vivo and 23 human studies were included and systematically reviewed.The majority of studies are about essential oil of Menta piperita as a single preparation and STW 5 as a compound preparation.Some evaluated herbs such as Curcuma xanthorriza and Fumaria officinalis did not demonstrate any benefits in IBS.However,it seems there are many other herbal preparations such as those proposed in traditional medicine of different countries that could be studied and investigated for their efficacy in management of IBS.

Wavelet-based classification and influence matrix analysis method for the fast discrimination of Chinese herbal medicines according to the geographical origins with near infrared spectroscopy

A discriminant analysis technique using wavelet transformation(WT)and influence matrixanalysis(CAIMAN)method is proposed for the near infrared(NIR)spectroscopy classifi-cation.In the proposed methodology,NIR spectra are decomposed by WT for data com-pression and a forward feature selection is further employed to extract the relevant informationfrom the wavelet coefficients,reducing both classification errors and model complexity.Adiscriminant-CAIMAN(D-CAIMAN)method is utilized to build the classification model inwavelet domain on the basis of reduced wavelet coefficients of spectral variables.NIR spectradata set of 265 salviae miltiorrhizae radia samples from 9 different geographical origins is usedas an example to test the classification performance of the algorithm.For a comparison,k-nearest neighbor(KNN),linear discriminant analysis(LDA)and quadratic discriminant analysis(QDA)methods are also employed.D-CAIMAN with wavelet-based feature selection(WD-CAIMAN)method shows the best performance,achieving the total classification rate of ioo%in both cross-validation set and prediction set.It is worth noting that the WD-CAIMANclassifier also shows improved sensitivity,selectivity and model interpretability in thecla.ssifications.

Screening of Chinese Herbal Medicines Resistant to Chicken Escherichia coli and Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus

[Objective] This study aimed to screen Chinese herbal medicines resistant to Chicken Escherichia coli and infectious laryngotracheitis virus. [Methed] Conven- tional punch method, test tube method and plate dilution method were adopted for in vitro susceptibility test of chicken E, coil strains O5 and O8 using 13 kinds of Chi- nese herbal medicines including Sanguisorba officinalis, Coptis chinensis, Anemar- rhena asphodeloides, Strobilanthes cusia, Agastache rugosa, etc.; chicken embryo inoculation experiment was adopted to screen Chinese herbal medicines resistant to chicken infectious laryngotracheitis virus. [Result] Sanguisorba officinalis, Fructus mume, Rheum officinale, Coptis chinensis, Herba Taraxaci, Anemarrhena asphode- Ioides, Scutellaria baicalensis and Rhizoma Fagopyri Cymosi had ideal antibacterial effect against chicken E. coil strain O5; Sanguisorba officinalis, Fructus mume, Rheum officinale, Coptis chinensis, Herba taraxaci and Rhizoma Fagopyri Cymosi had ideal antibacterial effect against chicken E. coil strain 08; other Chinese herbal medicines showed relatively poor or no antibacterial effect. Results of chicken embryo inoculation experiment showed that nine kinds of Chinese herbal medicines showed relatively strong anti-lLTV effect, including Forsythia suspensa, Radix Isatidis, Fofium isatidis, Flos Ionicerae, Radix codonopsis, Radix astragali, Atractylodes, Radix gly- cyrrhizae, and Pericarpium granati. [Conclusion] The study laid the foundation for fur- ther development of Chinese herbal compound preparations to treat chicken cofibacil- Iosis, infectious laryngotracheitis and other bacterial, viral diseases.

The journey,gain,and thought from engaging in the research of Chinese herbal medicines in China,Japan,and United States

<正>Since early 80s of last century,Chinese herbal medicines focused on the isolation and structural identification of active/chemical compounds have being investigated,started the journey from Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.After one year(1985~1986) advanced study in Prof.Jingxi Xie's laboratory in the

The effects of Chinese herbal medicines on Madopar dose and adverse reaction during the maintenance phase of Parkinson's disease:a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background:Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease,and is usually treated with levodopa combined with dopa decarboxylase inhibitor like Madopar.In order to improve the efficacy and reduce adverse reactions,Chinese herbal medicines are usually applied with Madopar to treat Parkinson’s disease in clinic.According to the results of certain randomized controlled trials,levodopa drugs combined with Chinese herbal medicines could achieve better effects like the improvement of clinical symptoms,the reduced incidence of adverse reactions,and the reduced dose of levodopa drugs(especially in the maintenance phase).However,not all the randomized controlled trials showed favorable effect on Parkinson’s disease.Therefore,it is necessary to find out how to effectively combine Chinese herbal medicines with Madopar.In order to evaluate the effects of Chinese herbal medicines on Madopar dose and adverse reaction during the maintenance phase of Parkinson’s disease,a meta-analysis was conducted.Methods:A systematic research was carried out for randomized controlled trials of combined Chinese herbal medicines and Madopar treatment for Parkinson’s disease during the maintenance phase published till August 2019.The primary outcome was the Madopar dose and secondary outcome was the incidence of adverse reaction.Data were pooled and analyzed with RevMan 5.3.Results:A total of 18 studies were included with 1,169 cases.However,study quality evaluation showed low methodological quality.Meta-analyses showed that the dose of Madopar in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group,and the incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was also significantly lower than that in the control group.However,the correlation analysis showed that the reduction of Madopar dose was not related to the reduction of incidence of adverse reactions(P>0.05).There existed publication bias on the primary outcome and secondary outcome.Conclusions:Chinese herbal medicines could reduce the Madopar dose and adverse reaction during the maintenance phase of Parkinson’s disease treatment.This conclusion must be considered cautiously,for lack of studies of high quality.

Beijing Tong Ren Tang Herbal Medicines Extract Factory

The Beijing Tong Ren Tang Herbal Medicines Extract Factory, a specialized producer of traditional Chinese medicines in tablet form, was set up in 1952 by Le Songsheng, vice mayor of Beijing and manager of Tong Ren Tang, with the aim of producing traditional Chinese medicines in Western form and by scientific means. The factory produced the

Beijing Tong Ren Tang Prepared Herbal Medicines Factory

The Beijing Tong Ren Tang Prepared Herbal Medicines Factory, located in Tongxian in the suburbs of Beijing, specializes in the production of prepared herbal medicines in small pieces ready for decoctions. Its products are known for their quality ingredients, unique technology,

Predicting the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines based on a Bayesian network model

Objective:Based on a Bayesian network model(BNM),we constructed and evaluated a predictive model of Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs)nephrotoxicity,explored its influencing factors,and provided a reference for the prevention and control of nephrotoxicity.Methods:We searched for CHMs with nephrotoxicity through academic journals and academic works,screened non-nephrotoxic CHMs,and then tested the correlation between nephrotoxic and non-nephrotoxic CHMs and their four properties,five flavours,and channel tropism.The screened variables were used to construct the Bayesian network model(BNM),predict important factors affecting the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs),draw the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of the model,and calculate the area under the curve(AUC)to evaluate the forecasting effect of the model.Results:Medicinal property theory(four properties and five flavours)are important factors affecting the nephrotoxicity of CHMs.Nephrotoxic and non-nephrotoxic CHMs are related to their four propertiesand five flavours(P<0.05).BNM showed that sweetness and flatness wereimportant protective factors for nephrotoxicity of CHMs;the prediction accuracy was 77.92%,the AUC result of the model ROC curve was 0.661(95%CI:0.620-0.701),and the best sensitivity(0.736)and specificity(0.571)were obtained at 0.65.Discussion:Modern mathematical statistics and modeling methods have certain reference significance and application value for the prediction of CHMs nephrotoxicity and toxicology research.

To set up a logistic regression prediction model for hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines based on the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines

In our previous research,a logistic regression prediction model for hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines based on the four properties,five flavors and channel tropism has been successfully established.However,could Chinese herbal medicines efficacy also be applied to predict the hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines?Therefore,a logistic regression prediction model for hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines based on Chinese herbal medicines efficacy has been tentatively set up to study the correlations of hepatotoxic and nonhepatotoxic Chinese herbal medicines with efficacy by using a chi-square test for two-way unordered categorical data.Logistic regression prediction model was established and the accuracy of the prediction by this model was evaluated.It has been found that the hepatotoxicity and nonhepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines were weakly related to the efficacy,and the coefficient was 0.295.There were 20 variables from Chinese herbal medicines efficacy analyzed with unconditional logistic regression,and 6 variables,rectifying Qi and relieving pain,clearing heat and disinhibiting dampness,invigorating blood and stopping pain,invigorating blood and relieving swelling,killing worms and relieving fright were chosen to establish the logistic regression prediction model,with the optimal cutoff value being 0.250.Dissipating cold and relieving pain(DCRP),clearing heat and disinhibiting dampness,invigorating blood and relieving pain(IBRP),invigorating blood and relieving swelling,killing worms,and relieving fright were the variables to affect the hepatotoxicity and the established logistic regression prediction model had predictive power for hepatotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines to a certain degree.

A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines used in the treatment of obesity

This review focuses on the efficacy and safety of effective herbal medicines in the management of obesity in humans and animals. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and IranMedex databases were searched up to December 30, 2008. The search terms were ＂obesity＂ and （＇herbal medicine＂ or ＂plant＂, ＂plant medicinal＂ or ＂medicine traditional＂） without narrowing or limiting search elements. All of the human and animal studies on the effects of herbs with the key outcome of change in anthropometric measures such as body weight and waist-hip circumference, body fat, amount of food intake, and appetite were included. In vitro studies, reviews, and letters to editors were excluded. Of the publications identified in the initial database, 915 results were identified and reviewed, and a total of 77 studies were included （19 human and 58 animal studies）. Studies with Cissus quadrangularis （CQ）, Sambucus nigra, Asparagus officinalis, Garcinia atroviridis, ephedra and caffeine, Slimax （extract of several plants including Zingiber officinale and Bofutsushosan） showed a significant decrease in body weight. In 41 animal studies, significant weight loss or inhibition of weight gain was found. No significant adverse effects or mortality were observed except in studies with supplements containing ephedra, caffeine and Bofutsushosan. In conclusion, compounds containing ephedra, CQr ginseng, bitter melon, and zingiber were found to be effective in the management of obesity. Attention to these natural compounds would open a new approach for novel therapeutic and more effective agents.