Availability of research results on traditional chinese pharmacotherapy.
BACKGROUND
The use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasing in the Western world over the last few years. Although Traditional Chinese Pharmacotherapy (TCP) plays a central role in TCM treatment in China, acupuncture is a more common form of treatment in the Western world than TCP.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to evaluate the quantity and availability of clinical trials on TCP using Medline.


METHODS
Medline searches were performed in PubMed (1966-June 2001) using the MeSH (Medical Subjects Heading) term 'drugs, Chinese herbal.' In a second step we restricted the search to meta-analyses, reviews, randomized controlled trials and clinical trials. Additionally we used the PubMed-Research- Methodology-Filter. Abstracts and information concerning the publication type were used to assess the available information.


RESULTS
Using the MeSH term 'drugs, Chinese herbal', 6,504 publications (50% in Chinese) published in 662 journals were identified. The specific search using the PubMed-Research-Methodology-Filter adjusted to 'therapy' and 'specificity' identified 118 studies (11 reviews, 55 randomized controlled trials, 26 controlled trials, 7 longitudinal studies, 12 experiments, and 7 others), 65 of which were written in English. Most studies used western diagnoses for treatment. The most common investigated diagnosis was atopic dermatitis (7 trials) followed by angina pectoris (6 trials).


CONCLUSIONS
Only limited information about TCP research is accessible for physicians using PubMed. Moreover, half of the studies are published in Chinese. The PubMed-Research- Methodology-Filter proved to be an effective tool in restricting the search to relevant publications.
Pach
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Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Economics, Charité Hospital, Humboldt University of Berlin.
Willich
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Becker-Witt
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D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D016239:MEDLINE; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal