Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42499360›Full record

ArticleGalen medical journal2026

Comparative Bibliometric Analysis of Herbal Medicine Research in Chinese and Iranian Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Clinical Trials : Short title: Iranian and Chinese CAM Trials.

Shahram Shafa, Tayyebeh Zarei, Majid Vatankhah, Fatemeh Rahmanian, Ehsan Rahmanian, Sara Rahmanian, Mansour Deylami, Mojtaba Ghaedi, Amir Hossein Pourdavood, Lohrasb Taheri and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Galen medical journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Shahram ShafaResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Tayyebeh ZareiDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Majid VatankhahDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Fatemeh RahmanianResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Ehsan RahmanianResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Sara RahmanianResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Mansour DeylamiDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
Mojtaba GhaediResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Amir Hossein PourdavoodResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Lohrasb TaheriResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Somayeh MehrpourDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shahid Rajaee Heart Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
Mehrdad MalekshoarDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Bibi Mona RazaviDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Fatemeh EftekharianResearch Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Traditional medicine, rooted in ancient history, resurged due to concerns over synthetic pharmaceuticals' adverse effects. Persian medicine, emphasizing medicinal plants, aligns with global healthcare recommendations. Both Iranian and Chinese medicine have influenced medical knowledge historically. Patients worldwide value Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for chronic and severe illnesses. This study goal was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of herbal medicine research in Iranian and Chinese CAM clinical trials to identify trends, patterns, and differences in research productivity and impact. Materials and Methods: This bibliometric study compared Chinese and Iranian CAM clinical trials using Web of Science data. It focused on RCTs, applying search terms for CAM and Chinese or Iranian CAM, with exclusion criteria to filter out irrelevant publications. No limitation was posed on publication time. The dataset included author information, article details, keywords, and citation history. It calculated the Annual Growth Rate (AGR) and used visual tools like the Three-Field Plot to illustrate associations. Additionally, Lotka's Law was applied to author productivity, and a co-citation collaboration network was analyzed using Bibliometrix r package. Results: Key findings for Iranian CAM include 71 documents by 342 authors with an average document age of 3.11 years. Chinese CAM featured 255 documents by 1857 authors with an average document age of 5.75 years. Iranian CAM showed a negative annual growth rate of -18.05%, while Chinese CAM had a positive rate of 5.65%. The included studies for Chinese CAM span from 2004 to 2024, while those for Iranian CAM range from 2015 to 2024. The most cited Iranian CAM document had 66 citations, and in Chinese CAM, "TONG XL, 2012" and "LIU XL, 2019" had the highest total citations. Decentralized research practices were observed in China, while Tehran and Shiraz universities led clinical trials in Iran. Conclusion: Our study indicates differing research trends in Iranian and Chinese herbal medicine. Iranian CAM research showed a declining trend, with Tehran and Shiraz universities leading clinical trials, while Chinese CAM research displayed a growing landscape with a more decentralized approach and greater historical prominence among authors.

Indexed as

BibliometricsHerbal MedicinePersian MedicineTraditional Chinese Medicine

Identifiers

PMID42499360
PMCPMC13277847

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.