Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery
As one of the major contemporary alternative medicines, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) continues its influence in Chinese communities and has begun to attract the academic attention in the world of western medicine. This paper aims to examine Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), the essential branch o...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2017.00381/full |
| _version_ | 1817995681532477440 |
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| author | Shuo Gu Shuo Gu Jianfeng Pei |
| author_facet | Shuo Gu Shuo Gu Jianfeng Pei |
| author_sort | Shuo Gu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As one of the major contemporary alternative medicines, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) continues its influence in Chinese communities and has begun to attract the academic attention in the world of western medicine. This paper aims to examine Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), the essential branch of TCM, from both narrative and scientific perspectives. CHM is a traditional health practice originated from Chinese philosophy and religion, holding the belief of holism and balance in the body. With the development of orthodox medicine and science during the last centuries, CHM also seized the opportunity to change from traditional health practice to scientific drug discovery illustrated in the famous story of the herb-derived drug artemisinin. However, hindered by its culture and founding principles, CHM faces the questions of the research paradigm posed by the convention of science. To address these questions, we discussed two essential questions concerning the relationship of CHM and science, and then upheld the paradigm of methodological reductionism in scientific research. Finally, the contemporary narrative of CHM in the 21st century was discussed in the hope to preserve this medical tradition in tandem with scientific research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T02:10:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc1d7bfc042544d2a40b1baf3dacb718 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-9812 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T02:10:44Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc1d7bfc042544d2a40b1baf3dacb7182022-12-22T02:18:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122017-06-01810.3389/fphar.2017.00381263909Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug DiscoveryShuo Gu0Shuo Gu1Jianfeng Pei2Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking UniversityBeijing, ChinaInstitute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeMA, United StatesCenter for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking UniversityBeijing, ChinaAs one of the major contemporary alternative medicines, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) continues its influence in Chinese communities and has begun to attract the academic attention in the world of western medicine. This paper aims to examine Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), the essential branch of TCM, from both narrative and scientific perspectives. CHM is a traditional health practice originated from Chinese philosophy and religion, holding the belief of holism and balance in the body. With the development of orthodox medicine and science during the last centuries, CHM also seized the opportunity to change from traditional health practice to scientific drug discovery illustrated in the famous story of the herb-derived drug artemisinin. However, hindered by its culture and founding principles, CHM faces the questions of the research paradigm posed by the convention of science. To address these questions, we discussed two essential questions concerning the relationship of CHM and science, and then upheld the paradigm of methodological reductionism in scientific research. Finally, the contemporary narrative of CHM in the 21st century was discussed in the hope to preserve this medical tradition in tandem with scientific research.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2017.00381/fullChinese herbal medicinetraditional Chinese medicinedrug discoverymedical narrativemethodological reductionism |
| spellingShingle | Shuo Gu Shuo Gu Jianfeng Pei Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery Frontiers in Pharmacology Chinese herbal medicine traditional Chinese medicine drug discovery medical narrative methodological reductionism |
| title | Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery |
| title_full | Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery |
| title_fullStr | Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery |
| title_short | Innovating Chinese Herbal Medicine: From Traditional Health Practice to Scientific Drug Discovery |
| title_sort | innovating chinese herbal medicine from traditional health practice to scientific drug discovery |
| topic | Chinese herbal medicine traditional Chinese medicine drug discovery medical narrative methodological reductionism |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2017.00381/full |
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