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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.

Ephedra affects autonomic activity

Categories: Herb research

Consumption of ephedra (Ma Huang, Ephedrae Herba) extract has both acute and chronic effects on autonomic nervous activity. Twenty healthy Taiwanese subjects were given 1g of ephedra dry extract or placebo once per day for 14 days in a crossover fashion with a seven-day washout period between treatments. Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) showed that ingestion of ephedra caused the sympathov ...

Magnolia effective for allergic rhinitis

Categories: Hay fever, Nose and mouth, Allergies

Magnolia (Xin Yi San, XYS, Flos Magnoliae), used as a single herb, is effective in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis. In a randomised double-blind study, Chinese researchers treated 108 patients with either XYS or a placebo for three months XYS reduced nasal symptoms (sneezing and rhinorrhoea), and nasal congestion, through reduction of nasal airflow resistance. The scientists also foun ...

Needling LIV-3 affects systemic haemodynamics

Categories: Acupuncture research

A team from Japan has investigated the changes of blood flow in the radial and brachial arteries during acupuncture needling. Eighteen healthy volunteers received manual acupuncture bilaterally at Taichong LIV-3. Blood flow volume decreased significantly during acupuncture in both radial and brachial arteries, but was found to be increased at 180 seconds after acupuncture compared with baseline. S ...

Doctors become acupuncture patients rather than acupuncturists

Categories: Acupuncture research

A Norwegian study has investigated changes in the personal and professional use of acupuncture among physicians in Norway between 1994 and 2004. The results showed that the percentage of physicians having used acupuncture for their own complaints had more than doubled (18% in 2004 vs 8% in 1994), while the percentage that intended to use acupuncture for their own complaints remained steady (55% in ...

Acupuncture after stroke activates damaged speech centres

Categories: Stroke

Acupuncture can assist language recovery in chronic stroke patients and may be associated with increased activity in the damaged speech area of the brain. Seven chronic stroke patients suffering from aphasia were treated with acupuncture three times a week, over a period of eight weeks. Four acupoints were stimulated on the weak side of the patient's body and no other rehabilitation was given duri ...

Reduced electrical impedance of acupuncture meridians associated with subcutaneous collagen bands

Categories: Acupuncture research

A new paper by American authors suggests that the reduced electrical impedances measured at acupuncture meridians are significantly associated with subcutaneous collagenous bands.Previous research has suggested that acupuncture meridians are physiologically characterised by low electrical impedance and anatomically associated with connective tissue planes. The new study assessed the electrical imp ...

Acupuncture analgesia mediated through adenosine

Categories: Acupuncture research

The understanding of how acupuncture's analgesic effects are mediated has been significantly improved, thanks to a paper from American authors. The team has, for the first time, identified the molecule adenosine as being potentially responsible for some of the effects of acupuncture in the body. Adenosine, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, its role in regulating sleep and its ef ...

Acupuncture trials get even STRICTA

Categories: Acupuncture research

A new version of the STRICTA (Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture) checklist has been published, setting out revised and expanded reporting guidelines for clinical trials of acupuncture. The new STRICTA checklist includes six items and 17 sub-items, which set out guidelines for the reporting of acupuncture rationale, details of needling, treatment regimen, other ...

Acupuncture for labour pain

Categories: Pregnancy & labour, Pregnancy & Labour

Current evidence from RCTs does not support the use of acupuncture for controlling labour pain, according to a systematic review from Korean authors. Ten RCTs involving 2038 women were included. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was not superior to minimal acupuncture at one hour and at two hours. Patients reported significantly reduced pain by 4% and 6% during electroacupuncture (EA) treatmen ...