The systematic assessment of traditional evidence from the premodern Chinese medical literature: a text-mining approach.
OBJECTIVE
This project aimed to develop an approach to evaluating information contained in the premodern Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) literature that was (1) comprehensive, systematic, and replicable and (2) able to produce quantifiable output that could be used to answer specific research questions in order to identify natural products for clinical and experimental research.


METHODS
The project involved two stages. In stage 1, 14 TCM collections and compendia were evaluated for suitability as sources for searching; 8 of these were compared in detail. The results were published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Stage 2 developed a text-mining approach for two of these sources.


RESULTS
The text-mining approach was developed for Zhong Hua Yi Dian; Encyclopaedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4th edition) and Zhong Yi Fang Ji Da Ci Dian; Great Compendium of Chinese Medical Formulae). This approach developed procedures for search term selection; methods for screening, classifying, and scoring data; procedures for systematic searching and data extraction; data checking procedures; and approaches for analyzing results. Examples are provided for studies of memory impairment and diabetic nephropathy, and issues relating to data interpretation are discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
This approach to the analysis of large collections of the premodern TCM literature uses widely available sources and provides a text-mining approach that is systematic, replicable, and adaptable to the requirements of the particular project. Researchers can use these methods to explore changes in the names and conceptions of a disease over time, to identify which therapeutic methods have been more or less frequently used in different eras for particular disorders, and to assist in the selection of natural products for research efforts.
1 Traditional & Complementary Medicine Research Program, Health Innovations Research Institute; WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, Discipline of Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
Brian H
BH
May
Anthony
A
Zhang
Yubo
Y
Lu
Chuanjian
C
Lu
Charlie C L
CC
Xue
D001688:Biological Products / Q000266:history; D057225:Data Mining; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000266:history; D011642:Publications / Q000266:history; D011643:Publishing / Q000266:history; D012106:Research
D001688:Biological Products