ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2012
Comparative effects of er-xian decoction, epimedium herbs, and icariin with estrogen on bone and reproductive tissue in ovariectomized rats.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Chinese herbal formula Erxian decoction for treating osteoporosis: a systematic review.Clinical interventions in aging · 2017Pooled it
- Icariin: from preclinical promise to clinical reality-a critical evidence-based assessment.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Icariin against osteoporosis: a review of advances in molecular mechanisms to biomedical applications.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Icariin, A Novel Promising Complementary Therapeutic Strategy in the Management of Female Infertility: A Literature Review:.Galen medical journal · 2023Article
- Therapeutic effects and mechanism of ferulic acid and icariin in mammary gland hyperplasia model rats via regulation of the ERK pathway.Annals of translational medicine · 2021Article
- Effect of herbal extract Eurycoma longifolia (PhystaBMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Article
- Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator-Like Activities of Herba epimedii Extract and its Interactions With Tamoxifen and Raloxifene in Bone Cells and Tissues.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Article
- Icariin Prevents Diabetes-Induced Bone Loss in Rats by Reducing Blood Glucose and Suppressing Bone Turnover.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Article
- Chinese Medicines Improve Perimenopausal Symptoms Induced by Surgery, Chemoradiotherapy, or Endocrine Treatment for Breast Cancer.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2019Review
- Effect of Collagen Hydrolysates from Silver Carp Skin (Nutrients · 2018Article
- Secretome analysis of rat osteoblasts during icariin treatment induced osteogenesis.Molecular medicine reports · 2018Article
- Article
- Metabolomics and Its Application in the Development of Discovering Biomarkers for Osteoporosis Research.International journal of molecular sciences · 2016Review
- Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide inhibits osteoporosis by promoting osteoblast formation and blocking osteoclastogenesis through Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.Scientific reports · 2016Article
- Natural Products from Chinese Medicines with Potential Benefits to Bone Health.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2016Review
- Er-Xian Decoction Stimulates Osteoblastic Differentiation of Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Ovariectomized Mice and Its Gene Profile Analysis.Stem cells international · 2016Article
- Short-time QiBaoMeiRan Formula Treatment Exerts Estrogenic Activities without Side Effects on Reproductive Tissues in Immature Mice.Scientific reports · 2015Article
- Local administration of icariin contributes to peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery.Neural regeneration research · 2015Article
- Effects of icariin on orthodontic tooth movement in rats.International journal of clinical and experimental medicine · 2015Article
- Network pharmacological identification of active compounds and potential actions of Erxian decoction in alleviating menopause-related symptoms.Chinese medicine · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Er-Xian Decoction (EXD), Epimedium herbs (herbs of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, EBH), and icariin (ICA) have been proven to have estrogen-like and antiosteoporotic activity and are used for the treatment of osteoporosis, menopausal syndrome, and age-associated diseases. The present study found that EXD, EBH, and ICA treatments, emulating estrogen, significantly contributed to bone density and architecture in OVX rats and that EXD is similar to estrogen and exerts a concomitant effect on bone formation and bone resorption at the tissue level, while EBH and ICA produced bone-protective effects mainly by inhibiting bone resorption. Nevertheless, EXD, EBH, and ICA treatments manifested a fewer adverse effects on the uterus, mammary gland, and vagina compared to estrogen administrations. Among the EXD, EBH, and ICA, EXD was found to have superior efficacy and safety profile.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.