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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.

Acupuncture safe, risks negligible

Categories: Acupuncture research

Two prospective surveys conducted among different groups of professionals in the UK, including doctors, physiotherapists and practitioners primarily trained in acupuncture, monitored adverse events to acupuncture over a defined period of time. A total of 652 acupuncturists reported 6733 adverse reactions in 66,229 patients, an adverse event rate of 10.2%. The most common events were tiredness (3%) ...

Acupuncture increases nitric oxide synthesis

Categories: Acupuncture research

Acupuncture significantly increases the concentration of nitric oxide (NO, a key biological signalling molecule involved in vasodilation and neurotransmission) in local body tissues. In a randomised, double-blind, crossover study, 20 volunteers underwent one session each of real and non-invasive sham acupuncture in a single hand and forearm, with a one-week interval between treatments. NO concentr ...

Chinese herbal extract prevents polycystic kidneys

Categories: Kidney / Urinary disorders

Triptolide, a compound derived from the Chinese medicinal herb, Lei Gong Teng (Tripterygii wilfordii Radix) has been demonstrated to prevent the formation of kidney-destroying cysts in a mouse model of polycystic kidney disease. Researchers from Yale University found that the compound corrected cellular calcium signalling mechanisms that are disrupted in the disease, leading to abnormal cell growt ...

Needle manipulation has cellular consequences

Categories: Acupuncture research

Subtle differences in needle manipulation techniques can affect the cellular response of connective tissue to acupuncture. American researchers subjected subcutaneous tissue samples from mice to varying amounts of bidirectional needle rotation, before examining them by confocal microscopy. Fibroblast cells were observed to respond to bidirectional rotation with morphological changes, which occurre ...

Herbal extract protects neurones

Categories: Herb research

A compound extracted from a Chinese herb traditionally used in the treatment of cancer has been shown to have potent neuroprotective activity. Gambogic amide, derived from the resin of the Garcinia hanburryii tree (known as gamboge or tom rong), provides protection by mimicking the behavior of nerve growth factor (NGF). Both molecules bind to neuronal TrkA receptors and trigger activation of numer ...

Acupuncture's ant-inflammatory effects

Categories: Acupuncture research

Research has shown that the parasympathetic nervous system, and in particular the vagus nerve, plays an important part in the regulation of the immune system. A new review explains the neuroimmunoendocrine mechanisms that underlie this interaction, emphasising the role of the vagus nerve in an 'inflammatory reflex' which is capable of suppressing inflammation. Since acupuncture and other CAM modal ...

Imaging acupuncture channels

Categories: Acupuncture research

Two different imaging methods have provided evidence for the existence of acupuncture channels. In one Chinese study, the optical transport properties along the Pericardium channel path and a parallel non-channel path one centimetre away from it were measured. Lasers were shone onto volunteers' arms on points at one end of the path and the amount of emitted light was measured at points on the othe ...

'Dragon's blood' kills stomach ulcer bug

Categories: Digestive & Bowel disorders, Herb research

Researchers in China have identified the active ingredients of 'dragon's blood', a resin derived from the herb Xue Jie (Draconis Sanguis), which are responsible for its beneficial effects on peptic ulcers and ability to stop bleeding. Twenty-two different compounds identified from the powdered stems of the plant were tested for effects on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacterium known to cau ...

Characterisation of deqi

Categories: Acupuncture research

An experimental study has been carried out using fMRI to characterise the nature and cause of the sensations experienced during deqi. Manual acupuncture was performed at Hegu L.I.-4, Zusanli ST-36 and Taichong LIV-3 during fMRI in 42 acupuncture-naive healthy adult volunteers. Non-invasive tactile stimulation was delivered to the acupoints by gentle tapping with a blunt metal filament prior to acu ...