If you are still wondering if there’s any scientific Proof about TCM herbal remedy and wondering if there’s Any double-blinded controlled trials to show the efficacy of TCM herbal formula.
Hold your breath, and let’s take a very deep dive here:
First, there are 5 questions you may ask yourself:
Why in some Asian countries, especially in China, herbal medication can be LEGALLY recognized by their FDA and widely used as a medication? Why? Because it works! Even scientists don’t understand how it works, but it works. That’s so simple. It has been rooted from many thousands of years (at least 2000+ years with proven records).
If it doesn’t work, why did the white house publish the “White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (nih.gov)”? (TCM is one of the main and the largest and oldest alternative medicines in the world with 3000-5000 years of history, sometime also referred as “Alternative Medicine” or “Traditional Medicine”.)
If it doesn’t work, why did the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and NIH found the NCCAM in 1998? The answer is simple: there are more than a hundred double-blinded controlled trials published in the clinical journal showing the efficacy of TCM herbal formula. In fact, there are so many studies and papers published in peer-reviewed journals that you can find if you search the keywords “TCM herbal remedy” or “TCM herbal formula”. For example, a study published in 2017 in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine showed that the TCM herbal formula “Jin-Gui-Shen-Qi-Wan” improved symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome in patients. Another study published in 2010 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that a combination of three TCM herbs (Ganoderma lucidum, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Coptis chinensis) improved symptoms of depression. These are just two of the many studies that have been conducted showing the efficacy of TCM herbal remedies and formulas.
If it doesn’t work, why did the WHO publish the “WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023”?
If it doesn’t work, why did the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (NIH) need to establish “National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health” (NCCIH) branch and develop “strategic plans and reports” in place?
Most opponent are against TCM/herbal medicine, is only because: they don’t understand it.
Does it important to “UNDERSTAND” it within current medical science system?
As long as it can be understood in TCM system, and get patient recovered, it would be OK.
Research has demonstrated the efficacy of TCM herbs in many different diseases, with reduced side effects. This paper provides further evidence of the benefits of TCM herbs：
Deciphering the Pharmacological Mechanisms of the Huayu-Qiangshen-Tongbi Formula Through Integrating Network Pharmacology and In Vitro Pharmacological Investigation. Zihao Wang etc. Frontiers. Pharmacology., 23 September 2019
More and more double-blinded and controlled clinical trials are showing that TCM herbal formula can effectively treat various diseases. One particularly successful example is a TCM formula (Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv Decoction) for treating Ankylosing spondylitis:
Anti-inflammatory activity of extracts of Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction, a Chinese medicinal formula, in M1-polarized RAW264.7 Run-Yue Huang etc. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine volume 14, Article number: 268 (2014)
Another great sample of a TCM herbal formulation to treat obesity:
Chinese herbal medicine for obesity: a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, prospective trial. Qiang Zhou etc. the American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2014;42(6):1345-56.
More research papers:
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial for efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine combined with antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia in children. Wei, Lina etc. Medicine 99(50):p e23217, December 11, 2020
Another example: Treatment with Chinese herbal medicines prevented the recurrence of endometriosis after a conservative operation, improved the conception rate and had fewer and milder adverse reactions than did Western medicine (WM) treatment:
Controlling the recurrence of pelvic endometriosis after a conservative operation: comparison between Chinese herbal medicine and western medicine. Rui-hua Zhao etc. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2013 Nov;19(11):820-5.
A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial to Evaluate Prophylactic Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Supplementing Qi and Hemostasis Formula on Gastrointestinal Bleeding after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients at High Risks. Chenhao Zhang etc. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2018, Article ID 3852196, 13 pages.
Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine Compared With Losartan for Mild Essential Hypertension: A Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Noninferiority Trial. Xinxing Lai, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, Volume 15, Issue 3, March 2022
Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure: Three-Stage Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Luo L, etc. Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2015:927160. Epub 2015 May 18.
The Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jinlida Granules on Glycemic Variability in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Trial. Jiemin Pan etc. Journal of Diabetes Research, Volume 2021, Article ID 6303063, 8 pages
You can see, the efficacy of TCM herbs in treating chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases has been demonstrated in multiple double-blinded or controlled clinical trials. For instance, a study published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine showed that a combination of Chinese herbs called Xiao-Yao-San was effective in treating primary hypertension. Another study in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that a combination of Chinese herbs called Shengmai-San was effective in improving glycemic control and reducing cholesterol levels in type 2 diabetes patients. Moreover, a meta-analysis in the journal Chinese Medicine showed that TCM herbs were effective in improving heart function in patients with coronary artery disease.
Another recent study has demonstrated that “Children’s Xuanfei Zhike Syrup” is an effective and safe treatment for acute tracheobronchitis caused by wind-heat invading the lungs:
Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine children’s Xuanfei Zhike syrup in treating acute trachea-bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, multicentre, controlled trial. Hua-Fang Chen etc. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2 February 2023, 116207
More samples of such double-blinded or controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the effectiveness of TCM herbs for different diseases:
Integrated Network Pharmacology and Mice Model to Investigate Qing Zao Fang for Treating Sjögren’s Syndrome. Ping Zeng etc. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2022, Article ID 3690016, 15 pages
Another double-blinded randomized controlled trial showed that TCM herbs are superior for chronic kidney disease, “TCM can improve eGFR and hemoglobin with lower side effects.”:
Optimized project of traditional Chinese medicine in treating chronic kidney disease stage 3: A multicenter double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Yong-jun Wang etc. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Volume 139, Issue 3, 15 February 2012, Pages 757-764
Another similar research on TCM herbal formula with Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, shows: “Treatment with a combination of JieDuTongLuoShengJin granules with HCQ is effective in improving patients’ subjective symptoms and some objective indicators of pSS. These results indicate that JieDuTongLuoShengJin is promising as a safe and effective treatment of pSS.” :
Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound JieDuTongLuoShengJin Granules Treatment in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Ben Li etc. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2017 DOI: 10.1155/2017/1315432.
From the above information, we can draw some conclusions:
(1) Current research has confirmed that TCM herbs DO have demonstrated effectiveness, thereby validating thousands of years of accumulated experience and practice.
(2) Despite this, science still DOES NOT have a full understanding of how these herbs interact to help the body achieve balance.
(3) Some research has indicated that there are hundreds or thousands of active target points in the body that may be beyond the scope of current scientific understanding.
It is clear that there are still misunderstandings. A lot of people just get blinded, and still wait the science to understand it fully before using the alternative medicine for treatment. Not sure if need to wait for another 100 or 200 years. Science is very limited.
How do you get the herb TCM
It’s all imported.
Because the TCM theory is from China, and a lot of herbs are practiced in China (Asia), and all those herbs characteristics are known for thousand of years. Many similar species of plants in North America may have different characteristics. For example, the ginseng in North America is “cool” but the ginseng in Asia is “hot”, according to TCM’s categorization.
So, to ensure the consistency of theory and practice, we imported all ingredients from China.