ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2016
Synergistic Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine: A Comprehensive Review of Methodology and Current Research.
Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 210 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
210 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Ginseng and Ginseng Herbal Formulas for Symptomatic Management of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Herbal medicine,Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Pathophysiological modulations by Trimad, a polyherbal formulation, in a rat model of high-fat diet-induced obesity.Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine · 2026Article
- Integrated UPLC-MS/MS profiling and network pharmacology-based analysis of the anti-hyperglycemic potential of Baihu Jia Renshen Decoction combined with Sanghuangporus vaninii extract in mice.Journal of molecular histology · 2026Article
- Anisodus tanguticus in Cancer Research: A Review of Traditional Use, Phytochemistry, Extraction Methods, and Preclinical Antitumor Evidence.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Review
- Therapeutic Potential ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Review
- Progress and application of activity-based protein profiling for the discovery of natural product targets.Molecular diversity · 2026Review
- Integrated Network Pharmacology and Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveal Transketolase as a Potential Target for the DanShen-DaHuang Herb Pair in Acute Kidney Injury.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Network Pharmacology Analysis Reveals Multi-Target Hepatoprotective Mechanisms of a Multi-Component Pharmacopuncture Against Ephedra-Associated Liver Injury with Implications for Mitochondrial Quality Control.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Antiviral effects of Codonopsis pilosula extract and its bioactive components against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in vitro via the AMPK/mTOR pathway.BMC veterinary research · 2026Article
- Metabolic difference of potentially toxic components from Psoraleae Fructus and Euodiae Fructus in Sishen formula by different compatibilities and physiologies.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective Effect of the Combined Extract ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Yixinjiedu Formula Attenuates Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction by Suppressing Ferroptosis and Restoring Mitophagy via the PINK1/Parkin Axis.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Total flavonoids of litchi seed attenuates cellular senescence by inhibiting the production of SASP through p65 suppression and ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis.Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica · 2026Article
- Assessment of antiemetic potential of schaftoside through modulation of dopaminergic, serotonergic and muscarinic signaling pathways: in vivo and in silico investigations.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Harnessing phytochemicals for engineering health solutions.Human genomics · 2026Review
- Design and Factorial Optimization of Curcumin and Resveratrol Co-Loaded Lipid Nanocarriers for Topical Delivery.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
150 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important part of primary health care in Asian countries that has utilized complex herbal formulations (consisting 2 or more medicinal herbs) for treating diseases over thousands of years. There seems to be a general assumption that the synergistic therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) derive from the complex interactions between the multiple bioactive components within the herbs and/or herbal formulations. However, evidence to support these synergistic effects remains weak and controversial due to several reasons, including the very complex nature of CHM, misconceptions about synergy and methodological challenges to study design. In this review, we clarify the definition of synergy, identify common errors in synergy research and describe current methodological approaches to test for synergistic interaction. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these models in the context of CHM and summarize the current status of synergy research in CHM. Despite the availability of some scientific data to support the synergistic effects of multi-herbal and/or herb-drug combinations, the level of evidence remains low, and the clinical relevancy of most of these findings is undetermined. There remain significant challenges in the development of suitable methods for synergistic studies of complex herbal combinations.
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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.