Potential of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:A promising future

In this editorial,we provide insights into the publication by Niu et al featured in the latest edition of the World Journal of Gastroenterology.Specifically,our focus was on exploring the potential of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)induced by a high-fat diet through various mechanisms.NAFLD is a common liver condition,affecting approximately 25%of the world's population.It is closely linked to metabolic syndrome,insulin resistance,excessive body weight,and irregular lipid processing,leading to fat accumulation in the liver,as well as oxidative stress and inflammation.While maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle are essential for managing NAFLD,treatment options are limited due to undefined pathogenesis and a lack of specific medications.TCM,rooted in traditional Chinese practices,presents a promising alternative through its"syndrome differentiation and treatment"principles,enhancing liver lipid metabolism,reducing inflammation,and addressing fibrosis.Certain herbs,such as Poria cocos,Puaria lobata,and Salvia miltiorrhiza,have shown significant efficacy in reducing fat deposition and improving liver function.Due to systematic research and analysis of mechanisms,TCM is anticipated to yield new approaches to prevent and treat NAFLD,increasing its clinical application.

Research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of endocrine metabolic diseases in 2023

This study aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the research progress in Chinese medicine in the treatment of endocrine metabolic diseases in 2023,covering traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)monomers,TCM extracts,and TCM combinations,including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications,obesity,hyperuricaemia,and thyroid disorders.After systematic sorting and summary,we found that in 2023,the research focusing on the application of TCM for endocrine metabolic diseases was still on the mechanism of action at the cellular and molecular levels,which not only influenced the classical pathways of lipid metabolism,but also delved into the key mechanisms of anti-inflammation,anti-oxidation,anti-insulin resistance,and so on.Additionally,TCM has shown remarkable results in the treatment of endocrine metabolic diseases by improving intestinal flora disorders and abnormal cellular iron death.These research results provide valuable ideas,methods,and tools for TCM in the prevention and treatment of endocrine metabolic diseases,and provide important references and guidance for future research and practice.

Role of aerobic glycolysis in alzheimer's disease and research progress of traditional Chinese medicine

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease with a variety of pathogenic factors and complex pathogenesis, so that the disease has a high prevalence and mortality in the world. Although the current diagnosis and treatment equipment and drug research and development keep pace with the times, the current medical technology still can not completely cure the disease, so it is of great significance to explore the pathogenesis and treatment target of AD. The disorder of energy metabolism is one of the characteristic changes in the pathological process of AD. Aerobic glycolysis (AEG) is a special metabolic pathway in the brain, which can rapidly consume glucose to produce energy and substrate for neurons, improve synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation and oxidative damage, and contribute to the recovery of memory and cognitive function. In recent years, many literatures have reported the mechanism of AEG in AD and the intervention of Tradit Chin Med on this mechanism. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the role of AEG in AD and the related research on the regulation and control of AEG in the treatment of AD by Tradit Chin Med, in order to provide reference and ideas for the prevention and treatment of AD with Tradit Chin Med in the future.

Antiviral Effects of Compound Traditional Chinese Medicine on Newcastle Disease Virus

[Objective] To investigate the mechanism of compound traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） on Newcastle disease virus （NDV） and to provide a scientific basis for the reasonable usage of antiviral drugs in clinic. [Method] The compound TCM was composed of Hedyotis diffusa, Lonicera japonica Thunb, Radix astragali and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Different dilutions of fluid extract were prepared. Its antiviral effects on NDV were observed through three inoculation ways, first, inoculation with the medicine and NDV mixture which had been incubated at 37 ℃; second, incubating chicken embryo fibroblasts （CEF） with the medicine followed by inoculation with NDV; third, inoculation with N DV followed by incubating CEF with the medicine. The A,= was determined by M]-r [ 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide） ~ method. Therapeutic indexes were used to evaluate the antiviral effects. [ Result] The minimum effective concentration of the compound TCM which acted through the three ways was 1.0 × 2^-10 1.0 × 2^-8 and 1.0 × 2^-7 g/ml, respectively. The antiviral effects of the compound TCM were the best through inoculation with the incubated medicine and NDV mixture, followed by the second method and the third method. [ Conclusion] The compound TCM can not only kill NDV directly in vitro but also inhibit viral propagation.

Discussion on application of food-medicine homologous traditional Chinese medicine in prevention prescriptions for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

From sorting out and statistical analysis of 172 prevention prescriptions for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) put forward by government departments, medical institutions and TCM clinical experts in various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, the results showed that food-medicine homologous traditional Chinese medicine (abbreviated as"food-medicine materials") such as honeysuckle, licorice, agastache, tangerine peel, fresh reed rhizome, perilla and platycodon are used most frequently. Combined with TCM theory and modern pharmacology analysis, not only deeper understandin/g of the application value of food-medicine materials, but also reference value of their daily use and development of related products reference in the future is expected to be acquired.

Thoughts on the Construction of Evidence-based Nursing Standard Plan for Dominant Diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The evidence-based Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) nursing in standard plan is to be constructed by a combination of evidence-based thinking and expert consensus.(1) The symptoms of diseases with better curative effect in TCM and the nursing techniques of TCM based on scientific evidence can be preliminarily presented through bibliometric analysis.(2) Expert consultation letters can be developed based on bibliometric results, and symptoms of dominant diseases in TCM and TCM nursing techniques can be selected through those letters.(3) Based on the selected symptoms and TCM nursing techniques, the PICO can be determined, and then evidence search, evidence extraction, evidence analysis can be conducted and synthesized, and recommendations would be chosen.(4) The recommendation grade of each recommendation can be determined by applying the Delphi method and referring to GRADE.(5) The plan will be determined through discussions of experts. The construction of TCM nursing plan would make sure that TCM nursing is scientific, and internationalize TCM nursing.

Research progress of external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a common chronic liver disease characterized by diffuse hepatic steatosis.With the improvement of people's living standard,the incidence rate of NAFLD has been increasing,which has become one of the global health problems in 21st Century.However,there is no specific drug or standard treatment for NAFLD,which brings challenges to treatment.Acupuncture,moxibustion,massage and other external therapies based on the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine have obvious curative effect in the clinical treatment of NAFLD,but the mechanism has not been systematically explained,which makes the clinical promotion evidence insufficient.This paper aims to summarize the researches on the treatment of NAFLD by external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine in recent years,and analyze its possible mechanism,so as to provide a scientific theoretical basis for future basic experiments and clinical research,and form a set of standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment scheme with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine.

Analysis on the traditional Chinese medicine syndromes and Six-Meridian Pattern Identification of coronavirus disease 2019

Zhongjing Zhang’s Shang Han Lun(Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases,an ancient Chinese medical book written by Zhongjing Zhang in the Eastern Han Dynasty)was pioneering to conduct the Six-Meridian Pattern Identification,which provided later generations with a theoretical basis for the treatment of Exogenous Febrile Diseases.The coronavirus disease 2019 belongs to the category of“Pestilence”(the general term for virulent infectious epidemic diseases)in“Febrile Diseases”(the general term for acute externally contracted diseases caused by Warm Pathogens,with fever as the chief manifestation,also known as Warm Diseases)and the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 is mostly based on the Triple Energizer Pattern Identification(the a categorization of Pattern Identification according to the theory of the Triple Energizer)or Defense,Qi,Nutrient and Blood Pattern Identification(the categorization of Febrile Diseases Pattern Identification according to the theory of Defense,Qi,Nutrient and Blood which indicates the stages of the clinical course with corresponding pathological changes).Although the theory of Cold-induced Diseases(the condition caused by Cold,manifested as chills and fever,absence of sweating,headache and floating-tense pulse)and the theory of Febrile Disease seem to be entirely distinct with each other,Zhongjing Zhang’s theory contained Triple Energizer Pattern Identification or Defense,Qi,Nutrient and Blood Pattern Identification,and Triple Energizer Pattern Identification or Defense Qi,Nutrient and Blood Pattern Identification also contained Zhongjing Zhang’s Six-Meridian Pattern Identification(the categorization of Pattern Identification according to the theory of the Six Meridians,applied to the diagnosis of acute Febrile Diseases at different stages,and also useful for the Pattern Identification of other diseases).The basic principles and therapeutic methods of Cold-induced Diseases and Febrile Diseases are intertwined.Therefore,this paper will combine the two theories to analyze the traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of coronavirus disease 2019,and try to use Six-Meridian Pattern Identification to guide the treatment of this disease.

Optimal traditional Chinese medicine formulas in treating ulcerative colitis:Choose one or take it all?

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that presents significant treatment challenges due to its complexity,especially in terms of the various side effects that traditional medications may bring during the chronic course of the disease.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has emerged as a promising complementary therapy for UC.Based on the latest research,our editorial explored the current issues and potential essential research directions for TCM in treating UC.We anticipate that future high-quality research will pave the way for the optimization of TCM formulas for UC and their broader global application.

Effect of the traditional Chinese medicine fumigation combined with the meibomian gland squeezer for treatment of dry eye associated with meibomian gland dysfunction

Background:To observe the effect of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation combined with the meibomian gland squeezer for the treatment of dry eye associated with meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD).Methods:This is a randomized,controlled,non-masked,single-center study.Seventy-four cases(74 eyes)of dry eye associated with MGD were randomly divided into two groups.Thirty-seven patients were chosen as the treatment group was treated by the traditional Chinese medicine fumigation 3 times a week combined with the meibomian gland squeezer once a week for one month.The other 37 cases were sorted as the control group and only treated with the meibomian gland squeezer once a week for one month.Both groups received the primary treatment for 1 month,including Tobradex eye ointment once a day and 0.1%sodium hyaluronate eye drops 4-6 times daily.Patients were evaluated at baseline and 2-week and 1-month visits for the ocular symptom scores,international ocular surface disease index(OSDI),fluorescein tear break-up time(TBUT),corneal fluorescein staining test(CFS),Schirmer I test,meibum quality and meibum expressibility.Results:Sixty-seven patients were followed in the study,and the mean age was 57(±12.6)years.Thirty-three patients(11 males)in the treatment group and 34 patients(8 males)in the control group were followed in the study,and the mean age of the two groups was 45.36±15.02 years and 43.68±13.43 years,respectively.Before treatment,there was no significant difference between the two groups in gender,age,ocular symptom scores,OSDI,TBUT,CFS,Schirmer I test,meibum quality,and meibum expressibility(P>0.05).Compared with baseline,the 2 groups had different degrees of improvement in the ocular symptom scores,OSDI,TBUT,CFS,meibum quality,and meibum expressibility at the 2-week and 1-month visits(P<0.05),and the treatment group showed a more significant improvement in the ocular symptom scores,OSDI,TBUT,CFS,meibum quality and meibum expressibility compared with the control group(P<0.05).In addition,no serious adverse events were observed in each group.Conclusions:The traditional Chinese medicine fumigation combined with the meibomian gland squeezer may be safe,effective,and helpful for the treatment of dry eye associated with MGD.

Analysis on the Changes of Research Hotspots in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 by Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Knowledge Graph

Objective: To grasp the changing trend of research hotspots of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and to better play the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other diseases. Methods: The research literature from 2020 to 2022 was searched in the CNKI database, and CiteSpace software was used for visual analysis. Results: The papers on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 by traditional Chinese medicine changed from cases, overviews, reports, and efficacy studies to more in-depth mechanism research, theoretical exploration, and social impact analysis, and finally formed a theory-clinical-society Influence-institutional change and other multi-dimensional achievement systems. Conclusion: Analyzing the changing trends of TCM hotspots in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 can fully understand the important value of TCM, take the coordination of TCM and Western medicine as an important means to deal with public health security incidents, and promote the exploration of the potential efficacy of TCM, so as to enhance the role of TCM in Applications in social stability, emergency security, clinical practice, etc.

A Study on the Correlation Between Cerebral Small Vascular Disease and Constitution Types of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective:To study the correlation between cerebral small vascular disease and constitution types of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods:The severity of lacunar infarction and leukoaraiosis were graded in 230 patients with cerebral small vascular disease,and they were divided into TCM constitution types.The survey of TCM constitution types was carried out by using standardized TCM constitution scale,and order multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types with severity of lacunar infarction and leukoaraiosis.Results:Yang-deficiency(阳虚)constitution,blood-stasis constitution and phlegm-dampness constitution were the most common TCM constitution types in patients with lacunar infarction,accounting for 33.7%,12.5%,11.5%respectively.Yang-deficiency constitution,blood-stasis constitution and Yin-deficiency(阴虚)constitution were the most common TCM constitution types in patients with leukoaraiosis,accounting for 28.8%,18.5%,13.7%respectively.There were significant differences in lacunar infarction of Yang-deficiency constitution and blood stasis constitution(P<0.05),and there were significant differences in leukoaraiosis of phlegmdampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution(P<0.05).Single factor analysis showed that the main risk factors of lacunar infarction were age,smoking,alcohol consumption,Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the main risk factors of leukoaraiosis were age,smoking,hypertensive disease,phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution.The ordered multivariate Logistic regression analysis found that the severity of lacunar infarction was closely related to age,and the severity of leukoplosis was closely related to age,smoking and hypertension disease.Conclusion:TCM constitution types of lacunar infarction in patients with small cerebral vascular disease is mainly Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the risk factors include age,smoking,alcohol consumption,Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution.Age is closely related with lacunar infarction.TCM constitution types with leukoaraiosis are mainly phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the risk factors are age,smoking,hypertension disease,phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution.Age,smoking and hypertension disease are closely related with leukoaraiosis.

Advances in the Study on"Simmering Pus and Forming Flesh"in Treating Anorectal Diseases by External Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Due to the special perianal location,anorectal diseases are prone to form chronic refractory wounds after surgery,with Qi(气)deficiency and blood stasis as the main cause.As a classical theory in TCM medicine,"simmering pus and forming flesh"attaches great importance to harmonizing Qi and blood in the wound healing period,which gradually achieves significant efficacy in clinical application after anorectal disease surgery.Literatures in recent years on"simmering pus and forming flesh"method being applied to postoperative wound healing in all kinds of anorectal diseases(such as anal fistula,perianal abscess,anal fissure,mixed hemorrhoid,etc.)were reviewed,and advantages and characteristics of its clinical efficacy in anorectal diseases were summarized,so as to provide reference for postoperative wound healing and repair treatment in anorectal diseases.

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine alone in the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease

Background:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux.Methods:PubMed,The Cochrane Library,Embase,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang Database,China Science and Technology Journal Database and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database were searched for randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux from database establishment time to December 2020.After two researchers independently screened the literature,extracted data and evaluated the bias risk included in the study,RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.Results:A total of 12 randomized controlled trials,were included,including 893 patients.The results of meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate of the treatment group(relative risk=1.28,95%confidence interval(CI)(1.19,1.38),P<0.00001),RGERDQ(refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease)score(mean difference(MD)=−3.35,95%CI(−4.13,−2.57),P<0.00001],acid reflux(acid in the stomach comes out of the mouth)[MD=−0.30,95%CI(−0.45,−0.15),P<0.00001],heartburn(the feeling that the heart is burned)(MD=−0.44,95%CI(−0.60,−0.29),P<0.00001,and retrosternal pain(MD=−0.27,95%CI(−0.44,−0.10),P<0.00001,belching(MD=−0.40,95%CI(−0.57,−0.24),P<0.00001],endoscopic mucosal score(MD=−0.62,95%CI(−0.78,−0.46),P<0.00001],the differences were statistically significant,and the effective rate of mucosal improvement under endoscopy was P=0.93>0.05,with no statistically significant difference.Conclusion:The current evidence shows that traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease is better than that of western medicine in the total effective rate,relieving acid reflux,heartburn,retrosternal pain and belching symptoms,but it is impossible to judge the improvement of mucosa under endoscope.Due to the limitations of the quality and quantity of included studies,more high-quality studies are needed to confirm the above conclusions.

Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chinese Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Objective To study the use of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） or both TCM and guideline-recommended Western medicine （WM） in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease （CHD）. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide survey of 2803 CHD outpatients was completed by collecting information, including general demographic data, disease history, and use of drugs （including TCM and WM）. Results Of the 2712 CHD outpatients with complete drug treatment data, only 3.1% received TCM without any WM for CHD, 30.0% received both TCM and WM recommended by current CHD guidelines, and 66.9% received only WM. Patients with a longer history of CHD or with a history of stroke, were more likely to use TCM. However, 90.6% of CHD patients who used TCM also used certain WM. Furthermore, patients who used more types of TCM tended to use much less WM recommended by current guidelines. Conclusion A substantial proportion of Chinese CHD outpatients use both TCM and WM for secondary prevention of CHD. It is important to assess the effect of combined TCM and WM on major clinical outcomes in Chinese CHD patients.

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

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 further optimization and improvement. Therefore, this review aims to comprehensively emphasize our understanding of the current deficiencies in TCM evidence-based studies and the necessity of adopting scientific evidence-based optimization methods for use in research. In this process, evidence should be produced in a standard manner, and the advantages of TCM patterns should be accurately stated because these factors contribute to efficient transformation and proper verification of the obtained evidence.Additionally, focusing on patient-oriented medicine and doctor-patient relationships is also essential.These methods are of great significance to prove the clinical efficacy of TCM and promote its development.

The advances of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of liver diseases in 2019

Background:Currently,the treatment of liver diseases remains an unsolved problem due to its complicated etiology and pathogenesis.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has been used for liver disease treatment for thousands of years.Disease treatment using TCM compounds conforms to the concept of“holism”,which coincides with the complicated pathogenic mechanisms of liver diseases.However,the mechanisms have not been clearly explained due to the complex components and multi-targets,which is a big obstacle TCM’s popularity and application.In recent years,studying the mechanisms and identifying the novel ingredients in herbal medicines are becoming a hot spot for many researchers.Therefore,we obtained literature in PubMed and summarized the progress of TCM’s active ingredients and formulas in treating various liver diseases in 2019.Based on the literature,flavonoids,polysaccharides,saponins,and alkaloids,as well as Chinese medicine formulas,such as Ba-Bao pill and Yin-Chen-Hao decoction,have attracted much attention.In addition,we also focused on the application of new omics analysis techniques,such as metabolomics,network pharmacology,and other omics analyses in the study of TCM formulas.

Systems pharmacology for traditional Chinese medicine with application to cardio-cerebrovascular diseases

Identified as a treasure of natural herbal products,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has attracted extensive attention for their moderate treatment effect and lower side effect.Cardio-cerebrovascular diseases(CCVD)are a leading cause of death.TCM is used in China to prevent and treat CCVD.However,the complexity of TCM poses challenges in understanding the mechanisms of herbs at a systems-level,thus hampering the modernization and globalization of TCM.A novel model,termed traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology(TCMSP)analysis platform,which relies on the theory of systems pharmacology and integrates absorption,distribution,metabolism,excretion and toxicity(ADME/T)evaluation,target prediction and network/pathway analysis,was proposed to address these problems.Here,we review the development of systems pharmacology,the TCMSP approach and its applications in the investigations of CCVD and compare it with other methods.TCMSP assists in uncovering the mechanisms of action of herbal formulas used in treating CCVD.It can also be applied in ascertaining the different syndrome patterns of coronary artery disease,decoding the multi-scale mechanisms of herbs,and in understanding the mechanisms of herbal synergism.

Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of coronary heart disease complicated with anxiety and/or depression after PCI:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:The clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of anxiety and/or depression after PCI for coronary heart disease were systematically evaluated.Methods:The databases of CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,CMB,PubMed,Web of Science,PubMed,Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched by computer,and the Chinese and English randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of anxiety and/or depression after PCI of coronary heart disease published from the database to November 2020 were included.The Cochrane bias risk tool and the modified Jadad scale were used to evaluate the quality of the included literature,and the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16.0 software were used for Meta-analysis.Results:A total of 23 RCTs were included,including 1837 subjects,including 917 cases in the treatment group of traditional Chinese medicine,920 cases in the control group,the baseline situation between groups was consistent,comparable.Meta-analysis results show that TCM treatment improves the total clinical effective rate[OR=2.34,95%CI(1.61,3.40),P<0.00001],and the efficacy of TCM syndrome[OR=5.19,95%CI(2.74,9.86),P<0.00001],reduce Hamilton anxiety scale HAMA score[SMD=-0.96,95%CI(-1.78,-0.14),P=0.02],Hamilton Depression Scale HAMD score[SMD=-1.10,95%CI(-1.79,-0.41),P=0.002],SAS self-rating scale score[SMD=-1.20,95%CI(-1.75,-0.65),P<0.0001],SDS self-rating scale score[SMD=-1.14,95%CI(-1.62,-0.65),P<0.00001]and other indicators are better than the control group,and the difference is statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:The combination of traditional Chinese medicine intervention and conventional western medicine treatment after PCI can further improve the clinical efficacy of patients with anxiety and/or depression after PCI of coronary heart disease and has good safety.Due to the general quality of the literature included in this study,the above conclusions need to be further confirmed by high-quality randomized controlled double-blind clinical trials.

Treating Principles and Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Peripheral vascular disease embraces a variety of conditions such as thromboangiitis obliterans, Raynaud's disease, thrombophlebitis, aorto-arteritis, obliterate atherosclerosis, varix or phlebothrombosis of the lower limb. Although the affected blood vessel may be arterial or venous one and caused either by inflammation or degenerate changes, they share common symptoms and signs, such as blood stasis, ischemia, thrombosis, ecchymosis, swelling, constriction or obliteration of blood vessels due to circulatory impairment. Since they share common characteristics, the treating principles and methods will be discussed as follows.