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Research Archive

Welcome to our Chinese medicine and acupuncture research news pages. We add to the content of these pages continuously as more research news comes in. Browse through the complete archive below or use the category links on the right.

Please note that the most twenty recent research archive items are free to view but access to the thousands of items in the archive require a journal subscription.

EAR ELECTRO-ACUPUNCTURE INCREASES VAGAL ACTIVITY

Categories: Acupuncture research

Electrostimulation of auricular acupuncture points can increase the activity of the vagus nerve, according to the results of a Swiss experiment. Fourteen healthy men participated in four examinations: a no-intervention control, a placebo control and manual and electro-acupuncture (EA) on the concha of the ear (where there is neuroanatomical evidence for vagal afferents). EA, but not manual acupunc ...

Brain study provides evidence for acupoint specifity

Categories: Acupuncture research

The results of a Korean study provide neurobiological evidence for acupoint specificity. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain was performed in 12 normal healthy subjects during electro-acupuncture stimulation (EA) of Yanglingquan GB-34 on the left leg and a sham point (belonging anatomically to the same L5 spinal segment) on the same leg. EA at the acupoint and the sham point ...

30 MINUTES OF ELECTRO-ACUPUNCTURE OPTIMAL FOR PAIN RELIEF

Categories: Acupuncture research

A team from the USA has found that the duration of electro-acupuncture treatment can affect its analgesic effect. Healthy volunteers were randomised to receive 0, 20, 30 or 40 minutes of electro-acupuncture stimulation (alternating 2/100 Hz at 5mA). Using a cold pain threshold test, the investigators found that 30 min of stimulation resulted in the most significant hypoalgesic effect, which was su ...

RANDOM ASSIGNMENT RESULTS IN FEWER BENEFITS

Categories: Acupuncture research

Korean researchers have found evidence that patients randomly assigned to treatment groups in acupuncture trials receive fewer health benefits from treatment than those who were non-randomly assigned. They carried out a systematic review of six partially randomised acupuncture trials and analysed the pooled data. They found that the randomised acupuncture group comprised patients with different de ...

Qigong effective for type 2 diabetes

Categories: Qigong

An American study has found that 12 weeks of qigong therapy resulted in significant reductions in fasting glucose levels in patients with type two diabetes. Thirty-two age- and sex-matched participants, all of whom were taking oral diabetes medication, were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group one received the qigong intervention, group two served as the control group and group three un ...

Tai chi practitioners are better at pointing the finger

Categories: Tai chi

Ageing has a negative effect on the ability to accurately point a finger toward stationary and moving visual targets. Tai chi practitioners, however, show significantly better accuracy than age-matched control subjects. A team from Hong Kong compared 30 university students (mean age 24) with 30 healthy older control subjects (mean age 72) and 31 experienced (mean 7 years of practice) older tai chi ...

TAI CHI PRACTITIONERS ARE MORE STABLE

Categories: Tai chi

Compared with healthy controls, tai chi practitioners demonstrate better stability and body awareness. A cross-sectional study of 24 tai chi practitioners (mean age 68.5) and 20 age-matched controls carried out in Sweden measured various stability parameters in both groups. The findings showed that tai chi practitioners were able to lean further without losing stability and had better overall body ...

Tai chi is the business at work

Categories: Tai chi

A Canadian study of female computer users has concluded that tai chi (TC) has considerable potential as a cost-effective way of promoting musculoskeletal fitness and psychological well-being in the workplace. Fifty-two participants took part in two 50-minute lunchtime TC classes per week for 12 consecutive weeks. Significant improvements in physiological and psychological measures were observed at ...

Goji berries protect the eye

Categories: Herb research, Eye disorders

In vivo studies have shown that anti-oxidant phytochemicals from Gou Qi Zi (Lycium barbarum fructus, aka Chinese wolfberry or goji berry) can protect eye tissues from oxidative damage. American researchers studying type-2 diabetic mice observed that wolfberry extract could protect retinal pigment epithelial cells from the oxidative stress caused by hyperglycaemia. The researchers have previously s ...

BU GU ZHI STIMULATES BONE GROWTH

Categories: Herb research

Extracts of Bu Gu Zhi (Psoralea corylifolia fructus), a plant known as a Kidney yang tonic in Chinese medicine, can increase bone growth in vivo. The plant, whose Chinese name means 'tonify bone resin' is considered a common weed in Asia and is known colloquially as 'scruffy pea'. Studies in rabbits showed that a total of 275% more new bone was present in bone defects grafted with Bu Gu Zhi extrac ...

Devil's dung fights swine flu

Categories: Herb research, Fever/infectious diseases

Antiviral compounds extracted from the foul-smelling herb Ferula assafoetida (Chinese name: A Wei, aka Devil's Dung) show greater activity against the H1N1 swine flu virus than the drug amantadine. Taiwanese scientists found that the roots of the plant, used as a remedy during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, contain nine phytochemicals that show more potent cytotoxic activity against the H1N1 influ ...

HUANG LIAN'S ANTI-CANCER EFFECTS

Categories: Cancer, Herb research

A review paper from Hong Kong traces the use of Huang Lian (Coptidis rhizoma) from traditional Chinese medicine (CM) to recent pharmacological studies of Huang Lian and its major component, berberine. The modern discovery of anti-cancer effects for Huang Lian and berberine are strongly linked with the traditional concepts and rules for using Huang Lian in CM practice. From a traditional standpoint ...

CHEN PI HAS ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Categories: Herb research

Chen Pi (dried tangerine peel) exhibits strong antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities, which are due to its high content of ascorbic acid and citric acid. Japanese biochemists prepared water and ethanol extracts of Chen Pi and examined their antioxidant and radical-scavenging properties. These properties may help explain the therapeutic effects of Chen Pi. (Potent antioxidant and radic ...

NANOFIBRES EXPLAIN HEALING PROPERTIES OF YUNNAN BAIYAO

Categories: Herb research

American scientists using atomic force microscopy (AFM) have discovered nano-scale fibres in Yunnan Baiyao, the traditional Chinese herbal medicine used to treat wounds. AFM images revealed an abundance of uniform nanofibres, about 25nm in diameter and 86-726nm in length, in a solution of Yunnan Baiyao powder. The authors suggest that the unique adhesive and structural properties of nanofibres may ...

Chinese medicines effective against hepatitis b

Categories: Miscellaneous disorders

A systematic review by Chinese authors has concluded that traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) seem to be effective for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Their meta-analysis showed that TCMs had a greater beneficial effect than interferon (IFN) and a slightly better effect than lamivudine (LAM) on normalisation of levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (the liver enzyme most commonly used as an indicat ...

Herbs as good as hormone therapy for menopause depression

Categories: Menopausal syndrome, Psychological / emotional

The Chinese herbal formula Geng Nian Le (GNL) can relieve the symptoms of perimenopausal depression and regulate women's hormone levels. Chinese scientists randomised 47 women to either a GNL group or a control group that received tibolone (a synthetic steroid hormone). After 12 weeks of treatment the depression scores in both groups decreased significantly, with no significant difference between ...

HUANG QI IMPROVES CANCER ANOREXIA

Categories: Cancer

A phase II clinical study carried out in Korea has found that a herbal decoction containing Huang Qi (Astragali membranaceus radix) can improve appetite and body weight in patients with advanced cancer. Anorexia leads to significant weight loss and eventually reduces survival in cancer patients. Korean clinicians administered the herbal decoction to eleven severely anorexic patients 30 minutes aft ...

HERB FORMULA MODERATES RISK-TAKING

Categories: Psychological / emotional

A Chinese medical formula designed to regulate impulsiveness has measurable effects on brain regions involved in risk-taking decision making. The fMRI study carried out in Hong Kong examined the neural correlates of the observed improvement in risk-taking behavior, following a 60-day course of a TCM formula specifically designed to regulate impulsiveness. Fourteen participants were randomly assign ...

INFERTILE WOMEN THINK ACUPUNCTURE HELPS

Categories: Infertility

Acupuncture is perceived by infertile women to have a positive impact on their health. An Australian pilot study investigated the experience of eight infertile women who had attended a minimum of four acupuncture sessions with the intention of improving their fertility. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered and analysed using descriptive content analysis. Four major categories of percep ...

Acupuncture for spinal injury mobilises stem cells

Categories: Miscellaneous disorders, Back

Acupuncture for spinal cord injuries (SCI) can mobilise human stem cells, according to German research. Fourteen healthy volunteers were needled at acupuncture points used in the treatment of SCI, while control individuals received acupuncture at points not used for SCI. The number of CD133(+) haematopoetic stem cells in peripheral blood doubled 48 hours after acupuncture at SCI points, whereas co ...