Overview of Contraindicated Chinese Medicines for Pregnancy

Chinese medicines should be classified into drugs, which have both beneficial and harmful effects. For centuries, Chinese medicines have been widely used to relieve many symptoms and to treat complications during pregnancy. It is not clear how safe the Chinese medicines are being used during pregnancy and if there is any adverse effects to embryo-fetal development and prenatal and postnatal growth. Some Chinese medicines are indicated that they cannot be used in pregnancy. In this chapter, we will conduct a systematic review to summarize and characterize in details the Chinese medicines classified as contraindicated, not recommended and cautiously used for pregnancy in most updated version of Pharmacopeia of the People’s Republic of China. Clinical reports including clinical trials, case reports, case series and animal studies including short-term and long-term toxicity, specific organ toxicity and different species of the Chinese medicines will be studied. Unlike those pharmaceutical drugs not recommend for use during pregnancy because of known or suspected adverse or teratogenic effects evident by animal studies and/or clinical trials, most of the Chinese medicines were utilized for long history in culture which, however, has very limited scientific data regarding the adverse pregnant outcomes

Database development and mechanistic study of traditional Chinese medicine by computer

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Chinese herbal medicine for insomnia : evidence and experience

Insomnia, a condition with significant medical consequences, is becoming more and more prevalent worldwide. Hypnotic drugs are associated with dependence, adverse reactions and long-term risks. Psychotherapy is time- and resource-consuming and largely unavailable. As such, many people who present with insomnia also look for alternative treatments. Recent studies show that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), a traditional herbal medicine based on holistic theories, could be a potential alternative. The aims of this doctoral research were to explore the potential benefits of CHM for the treatment of insomnia and provide guidance in the treatment of insomnia with CHM. For practical reasons, the empirical aspect of the investigation focuses on one specific CHM product, which is Zao Ren An Shen (ZRAS). The research questions include: (1) Is ZRAS a safe and effective treatment for insomnia disorder? (2) How do Chinese medicine clinicians diagnose and treat insomnia with CHM? This doctoral research consists of a narrative review and three major studies: one systematic review, one randomised, placebo-controlled trial and one clinical experience synthesis. In the systematic review, clinical trial that assessed the efficacy and/or safety of ZRAS for insomnia were systematically searched and screened. In the clinical trial, after one week of placebo run-in, 85 participants with insomnia disorder were randomly allocated to either take ZRAS capsule or placebo for four weeks. Insomnia severity, psychological status, fatigue levels, quality of life, subjective sleep parameters, objective sleep parameters, and adverse events were assessed through the intervention period and at a four-weeks follow-up. Both the investigator and the participants were blind to the treatment allocation. In the clinical experience synthesis (CES), clinical experience reports published in the literature, which described treatment of insomnia with CHM, were systematically reviewed and screened. The systematic review shows that ZRAS is safe and effective for insomnia. The randomised trial support ZRAS capsule as a safe and acceptable treatment, yet failed to improve significantly insomnia severity in insomnia patients. These differences may be explained by the poor quality of the studies included in the systematic review. The studies included in the systematic review and the randomised trial both used a standardised intervention approach. However, Chinese medicine clinician recommend an individualised approach, which may contribute to improved outcomes across a broader range of measures

Isolation, Characterization and Antidiabetic Evaluation of Aqueous Extract of Inula Helianthus Aquatica Leaves.

Natural world constantly stands as a golden mark to illustrate the exceptional phenomenon of symbiosis. Natural products from plant, animal and mineral source have been the basis of treatment for a variety of human diseases throughout the world. About 80 % of people in developing countries rely on traditional herbal medicines based mainly on species of plants and animals. Studies have showed that regarding 800 plants have been used in native systems of medicine. The selected plant, Inula helianthus aquatica belonging to the family Asteraceae gave a detailed report on preliminary phytochemical, isolation of active constituents and pharmacological studies. The plant was selected for the work on the basis of its traditional use. Some related species have already proven for their anti diabetic activity. The Asteraceae family in general has anti-diabetic potential along with anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti- tumour, anti-epileptic, antihelminthic, anti-septic, anti-tussive, cardiotonic, diuretic, diaphoretic and analgesic properties. The phyto chemical studies, isolation, and spectral studies were carried out. In the present study the aqueous extract of leaves has proven anti-diabetic potential and helps in prevention and management of diabetes. The anti-diabetic work was done on alloxan induced diabetic rats, and the results obtained has proven the potential of anti diabetic properties in aqueous extract of Inula helianthus aquatica leaves. Detailed studies on the phyto constituents of the plants are yet to be established regarding the antidiabetic potential of this plant

Global Mapping of Traditional Chinese Medicine into Bioactivity Space and Pathways Annotation Improves Mechanistic Understanding and Discovers Relationships between Therapeutic Action (Sub)classes.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) still needs more scientific rationale to be proven for it to be accepted further in the West. We are now in the position to propose computational hypotheses for the mode-of-actions (MOAs) of 45 TCM therapeutic action (sub)classes from in silico target prediction algorithms, whose target was later annotated with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, and to discover the relationship between them by generating a hierarchical clustering. The results of 10,749 TCM compounds showed 183 enriched targets and 99 enriched pathways from Estimation Score ≤ 0 and ≥ 5% of compounds/targets in a (sub)class. The MOA of a (sub)class was established from supporting literature. Overall, the most frequent top three enriched targets/pathways were immune-related targets such as tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 2 (PTPN2) and digestive system such as mineral absorption. We found two major protein families, G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), and protein kinase family contributed to the diversity of the bioactivity space, while digestive system was consistently annotated pathway motif, which agreed with the important treatment principle of TCM, "the foundation of acquired constitution" that includes spleen and stomach. In short, the TCM (sub)classes, in many cases share similar targets/pathways despite having different indications.Peer Reviewe

Report to Ministers from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Practitioners of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Other Traditional Medicine Systems Practised in the UK.

This report represents a significant milestone in meeting the Government's objectives for the public safely to access acupuncture, herbal/traditional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. It represents the culmination of many years of work by practitioners, the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health (PFIH) and the Department of Health in conjunction with the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA). The stimuli for this were the House of Lords' Select Committee on Science and Technology's report in 2000, and the Government response to it in 2001. The recommendations in this report have taken account of emerging health policy over the past decade relevant to protecting patients and new ways of working for healthcare professionals. There has been positive discussion with statutory regulatory bodies, particularly with the Health Professions Council (HPC), which is the proposed new regulator for acupuncture, herbal/traditional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine as wll as with professional bodies and practitioners. The report is therefore framed within the context of existing health policy. The document consists of the main report that makes specific recommendations for regulation. It is followed by a series of annexes that in turn explain the nature of herbal/traditional medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, and provide further detailed information that will be useful to members of the public and other health professionals, as well as to the Department of Health and the future statutory regulatory body. Other annexes provide information on the development of a research and evidence base for these sectors, on existing training provision and accreditation arrangements as well as the criteria used by the Steering Group to assess the potential of professional practitioner associations to qualify for direct transfer to the chosen regulatory body