TCM Dec 19 Issue

Produced by the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office
The Art and Science of

Traditional Medicine
Part 1: TCM Today
A Case for Integration
Sponsored by
Contents
In this first installment of a three part series, The Art and Science
of Traditional Medicine, we present a series of articles making
a case for the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
into modern medical practice. From the new WHO Traditional
Medicine Strategy to the application of systems biology in
studying TCM, we aim to highlight the potential for creating
an integrated, network-based health care system. The next two
issues will cover herbal genomics and highlight the importance
of quality control, standardization, regulation, and safety for
traditional therapies. An overview of indigenous medicines in
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and the Americas will also
be provided.
This is the start of something big.
Tai-Ping Fan, Ph.D. (Guest project editor)

University of Cambridge, UK
Josephine Briggs, M.D.
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, NIH, USA
Liang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Macau University of Science & Technology, Macau SAR, China
Aiping Lu, M.D., Ph.D.
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Jan van der Greef, Ph.D.
University of Leiden and TNO, The Netherlands
Anlong Xu, Ph.D.
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
Editor: Sean Sanders, Ph.D.

Assistant Editor: Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D.
Proofreader/Copyeditor: Yuse Lajiminmuhip
Designer: Amy Hardcastle
ILLUSTRATION (FRONT) CHARLOTTE LOKIN
Introducing Science Advances the new, online-only, open-access journal from Science
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S2 Supporting the integration and modernization

of traditional medicine
Margaret Chan, M.D.
S3 A middle way for traditional medicine

Alan Leshner, Ph.D.

Science/AAAS

S4 Message from the editorial team
Articles
Editorial Team
Bill Moran, Global Director

Custom Publishing
[email protected]
+1-202-326-6438
Forewords
Ruolei Wu, Associate Director, Asia

Custom Publishing
[email protected]
+86-186-0082-9345
S5 The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023:

A perspective
S7 A global scientific challenge: Learning the right lessons

from ancient healing practices
S10 East is East and West is West, and never the twain
shall meet?
S13 Zheng: A systems biology approach to diagnosis and
treatments
S16 Integrated network-based medicine: The role of
traditional Chinese medicine in developing a new
generation of medicine
S19 The hunt for antifibrotic and profibrotic botanicals
S21 i-Needle: Detecting the biologicalmechanisms of
acupuncture
S23 Purinergic signaling in acupuncture
The content contained in this special, sponsored section was commissioned, edited, and published by the Science/AAAS Custom
Publishing Office. It was not peer-reviewed or assessed by the Editorial staff of the journal Science; however, all manuscripts have
been critically evaluated by an international editorial team consisting of experts in traditional medicine research selected by the
project editor. The intent of this section is to provide a means for authors from institutions around the world to showcase their
state-of-the-art traditional medicine research through review/perspective-type articles that highlight recent progress in this burgeoning area. The editorial team and authors take full responsibility for the accuracy of the scientific content and the facts stated.
Articles can be cited using the following format: [Author Name(s)], Science 346 (6216 Suppl), Sxx-Sxx (2014).
S1
Supporting the
integration and
modernization
of traditional
medicine
Nearly a quarter of all

modern medicines are
derived from natural
products, many of
which were first used in
a traditional medicine
context.
raditional medicine (TM) holds great potential to improve peoples

health and wellness. It is an important, yet often underestimated, part
of health care. TM is found in almost every country in the world and
the demand for its services is increasing every day. TM can contribute
to addressing a number of global health challenges of the 21st Century, in
particular in the area of chronic, noncommunicable diseases and population
aging.
TM is often seen as more accessible, more affordable, and more acceptable
to people and can therefore also represent a tool to help achieve universal
health coverage. It is commonly used in large parts of Africa, Asia, and
Latin America. For many millions of people, often living in rural areas within
developing countries, herbal medicines, traditional treatments, and traditional
practitioners are the mainand sometimes the onlysource of health care. The
affordability of most traditional medicines makes them all the more attractive
at a time of soaring health care costs and widespread austerity.
In wealthy countries, TM meets an additional set of needs. People
increasingly seek natural products and want to have more control over their
health. They turn to TM to relieve common symptoms, improve their quality of
life, and protect against illness and diseases in a holistic, nonspecialized way.
Incidentally, nearly a quarter of all modern medicines are derived from
natural products, many of which were first used in a traditional medicine
context. TM is thus a resource for primary health care, but also for innovation
and discovery.
However, TM needs rigorous, scientific data to demonstrate its efficacy. It
also needs evidence-based standards for quality and safety evaluation to support its appropriate regulation. I am happy to see included in this special feature of Science magazine, a series of perspectives on TM from a global team
of experts, and would like to encourage more views to be shared and more
robust research to be conducted in the area of TM in the future.
The general situation concerning the global use of TM was recently
disseminated through the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023.
It makes clear that, to move into mainstream medicine on an equally trusted
footing, TM needs a stronger evidence base. The need for stronger regulatory
control covers not only the products, but also extends across the practice
and practitioners. Updating and enhancing the strategy has allowed WHO to
acquire a better understanding of how to boost the global integration of TM
into health systems, to benefit individuals seeking the right care, from the right
practitioner, at the right time.
The two systems of traditional and Western medicine need not clash. Within
the context of primary health care, they can blend together in beneficial harmony, taking advantage of the best features of each system and compensating for certain weaknesses in each as well. In an ideal world, TM would be an
option, a choice, offered by a well-functioning, people-centred health system
that balances curative services with preventive care. The challenge is to give
TM its appropriate place in an integrated health system, to help all practitioners understand its unique and valuable contribution, and to educate consumers about what it can and cannot do. In other words, we need to modernize
this rich resource and cultural heritage, and put it in its proper place in todays
world.
I
A middle way
for traditional
medicine
Traditional medicine
researchers are
applying modern
'omics and the latest
technologies in an
attempt to standardize
traditional treatments.
n discussions surrounding traditional healing techniques, a common

perception is that those in the West most often take a reductionist
approach to medicine, breaking down the body into ever-smaller parts in
order to understand its inner workings. In the East, by contrast, medical
practitioners are seen to take a more holistic view, regarding the body as a
complex, integrated system and treating it as such.
At some point in the past, these two philosophies were certainly at odds.
However, this seems less so to be the case today. The line between Eastern
and Western medicine is blurring as alternative healing practices such as
acupuncture, meditation, and yoga have become popularized in the West,
and as evidence-based science finds a foothold in the East, particularly in the
realm of drug discovery and development.
The rise of systems biology as a discipline, starting around five decades
ago but gaining sharply in acceptance and popularity in the last 20 years,
has created a slow but unambiguous shift in the Western research paradigm.
Reductionism, although still a respected philosophy, is no longer consistently
the preeminent methodology of choice in biological research. Researchers
around the world are coming around to the notion that, while we can learn
much from understanding the finest details at a molecular level, particularly
when it comes to treating disease, a deeper knowledge of the interactions
between systems and networks is essential.
Conversely, taking a purely holistic approach can produce its own
challenges. This is particularly true when quality control of medicinal products
and reproducibility of results comes into question. No matter the weight of
historical, anecdotal data, drug regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) will not allow new therapeutics for human
treatment without verifiable scientific evidence. Although there are many
challenges inherent in meeting this requirement, traditional medicine
researchers are applying modern 'omics and the latest technologies in an
attempt to standardize traditional treatments, especially through identification
and isolation of bioactive compounds and careful analysis of their levels and
activities in various herbal remedies.
In Buddhism, the Middle Way is described as the route to enlightenmenta
path found by balancing opposing views, accepting neither extreme, but
rather investigating both sides and finding a middle ground. Perhaps a Middle
Way can be found for traditional medicine, one that takes the best of East and
West and brings them together for the benefit of all.
Alan Leshner, Ph.D.
CEO, AAAS
Executive Publisher, Science
Margaret Chan, M.D.

Director-General, World Health Organization
S2
S3
Integrating
traditional
medicine into
modern health
care
Tai-Ping Fan, Ph.D.

(Guest project editor)
University of Cambridge,
UK
Liang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Macau University of
Science & Technology,
Macau SAR, China
Josephine Briggs, M.D.

National Center for
Complementary &
Alternative Medicine,
NIH, USA
Aiping Lu, M.D., Ph.D.

Hong Kong Baptist
University,
Hong Kong SAR, China
lmost every culture has its distinct herbal traditions, each with its
indigenous plants and unique practices. But one premise unites
them allherbs have remarkable properties that make them a
source of potentially powerful medicines.
Thanks to early explorers like Marco Polo (12541324), materia medica has
been travelling between East and West for centuries. It is now important for us
to harness the traditional medicines from across the globe. In Britain, the rich
history of traditional medicine use was given credence in the early 1500s by
the Herbalists Charter of Henry the VIII (14911547). His contemporary in China, Li Shizhen (15181593) was a great naturalist who spearheaded a 40-year
research project that led to the publication of Bencao Gang Mu, a pharmacopoeia and also a treatise on botany, zoology, mineralogy, and metallurgy.
To make the case that traditional medicine has valuable insights for modern
society, an independent editorial team was gathered consisting of experts in
a range of topics related to traditional medicine research. This team compiled
a unique collection of state-of-the-art perspectives from global experts on
traditional medicine research, the first installment of which is presented in this
special feature. Further exciting articles will be published early in 2015.
We have chosen traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to illustrate the art and
science behind the ancient practice of holistic healing, and how the good
practices of quality control, pharmacology and toxicology testing, carefully designed clinical studies, and proper regulation are applicable to all traditional
medicines.
This first issue introduces the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014
2023), highlighting the global scientific challenges and showing how a systems biology approach can be applied to diagnosis, leading to integrated
network-based medicine. Recent advances in mechanistic studies of acupuncture are also discussed. Some of the exciting areas in TCM research include
the therapeutic potential of herbal remedies against influenza, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases; the exploration of gut microbiota-targeted
dietary interventions against chronic inflammation; and the study of the
biological activities of complex polysaccharides present in medicinal plants.
Chemogenomics and network pharmacology have been applied to predict
molecular targets and decipher the mechanisms of action of pure compounds or phytocomplexes found in combinatorial herbal formulas. A better
understanding of the philosophy of synergetic interactions of Jun, Chen, Zuo,
and Shi classes of Chinese materia medica used in traditional formulations has
led to a simplified Jun-Shi compatibility drug discovery strategy model.
Evaluating the safety of herbal medicines is critical to their wider acceptance
as valid therapeutic agents. Integrated toxicological approaches have been
successfully applied in this area, for instance to identify antifibrotic and profibrotic substances in certain medicinal plants. As research into the broader
application of traditional medicine continues, newer 'omics technologies and
poly-pharmacokinetics will also play an increasing role in bridging the gap
between the personalized approach of Chinese medicine theory and modern
clinical research methodology.
Acknowledgments
Jan van der Greef, Ph.D.

University of Leiden and
TNO,
The Netherlands
S4
Anlong Xu, Ph.D.

Beijing University of
Chinese Medicine,
China
We are particularly grateful to Zhu Chen, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee

of the National Peoples Congress of the Peoples Republic of China for inspiring us
to undertake this project, to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan and her team,
Commissioner Guoqiang Wang of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese
Medicine, and AAAS CEO Alan Leshner for their vision and support for this special
feature. Thanks are also due to all authors, referees, advisors, and sponsors for charting
the journey ahead to translate ancient traditional medicines into the therapies of
tomorrow.
The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023:

A perspective
Authors:
Zhang Qi1* and
Edward Kelley2
here has been a continuing demand for,

and popular use of, traditional and complementary medicine
(T&CM) worldwide. In some developing countries, native
healers remain the sole or main health providers for millions of
people living in rural areas. For instance, the ratio of traditional
health practitioners to citizens in Africa is 1:500, whereas the
ratio of medical doctors to citizens is 1:40,000 (1). In the Lao
Peoples Democratic Republic, 80% of the population live in
rural areas, with each village being serviced by one or two
traditional health practitioners (2). Over 100 million Europeans
are currently users of T&CM, with one-fifth being regular users;
a similar proportion choose health care that includes T&CM
(3). According to a national survey in China, practitioners of
traditional Chinese medicine received 907 million visits from
patients in 2009, which accounts for 18% of all medical visits
to surveyed institutions. Further, the number of traditional Chinese medicine inpatients was 13.6 million, or 16% of the total
in all hospitals surveyed (4).
In a few countries, certain types of traditional medicine (TM)
have been completely integrated into the health care system,
including China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea
(North Korea), the Republic of Korea (South Korea), India, and
Vietnam. In China, for instance, traditional Chinese medicine
and conventional medicine are practiced alongside each other
at every level of the health care service, and public and private
insurance cover both forms of treatment (Box 1).
In many other countries, T&CM is partially integrated into
the national health system, while in some countries there is no
integration at all.
Recent changes, emerging challenges, and needs
Much has changed since the last World Health Organization

(WHO) global strategy document was released in 2002. More
and more countries are coming to accept the contribution that
T&CM can make to the health and well-being of individuals
and the comprehensiveness of their health care systems. In the
period 1999 to 2012, the number of member states of WHO
with national policies covering TM has increased significantly.
This includes countries better regulating herbal medicines or
creating national research institutes to study T&CM (5).
Governments and consumers are becoming more open to
broader aspects of T&CM practices and to considering them
as an integrated part of health service delivery. In Africa, the
number of national regulatory frameworks increased from one
in 1999/2000 to 28 in 2010 (6). Across the Atlantic, the Ministry
of Health in Brazil has developed a national policy on integrative and complementary practices (7), while in the eastern
Materials that appear in this section were not reviewed or
assessed by Science Editorial staff, but have been evaluated by
an international editorial team consisting of experts in traditional
medicine research.
Mediterranean region, five member states report having regulations specifically for T&CM practitioners (5). Member states
in the southeast Asia region are now pursuing a harmonized
approach to education, practice, research, documentation, and
regulation of TM (5); in Japan, 84% of Japanese physicians use
Kamp (Japanese traditional medicine) in daily practice (8).
In Switzerland, certain complementary therapies have been
reinstated into the basic health insurance scheme available to
all Swiss citizens (9).
Despite significant advances, the regulation of T&CM
products, practices, and practitioners is not occurring at an
equal pace (5). Member states report that faster progress is
being made in the regulation of herbal medicines, while that
for T&CM practices and practitioners is lagging. Of concern is
that the safety, quality, and efficacy of T&CM services cannot
be assured if there is not appropriate regulation of practices
and practitioners. This situation presents a serious challenge
for many member states, where a lack of knowledge and
experience exists regarding the formulation of national policy,
leading to weak or absent regulation and a lack of proper
integration of T&CM services into the health service delivery
system. It also reflects the need of all member states to push
WHO to update its global strategy on TM.
The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy: 20142023
Responding to the needs and challenges identified by

member states and building on the work done under the WHO
Traditional Medicine Strategy 20022005 (10), the updated
strategy for the period 20142023 devotes more attention
than its predecessor to health services and systems, including
T&CM products, practices, and practitioners. The key objectives of the updated strategy are summarized below.
Objective 1: To build the knowledge base for active management of T&CM through appropriate national policies. There
is a great diversity of products, practices, and practitioners in
T&CM. The first strategic step towards achieving this objective is to understand and recognize the role and potential of
T&CM. The strategy recommends that member states acknowledge and appraise, in detail, which types of T&CM are used
by their populations and devise their own country profile for
T&CM practices. As the marketplace for T&CM becomes more
global, harmonization and cooperation will become more
important.
The second strategic step under this objective recommends
that member states strengthen knowledge generation, collaboration, and sustainable use of T&CM resources, including
intellectual and natural resources.
Objective 2: To strengthen quality assurance, safety,
proper use, and effectiveness of T&CM by regulating T&CM
products, practices, and practitioners. The first strategic
element under this objective is to recognize the role and
1
Coordinator, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Unit, Service Delivery and Safety
Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Director, Service Delivery and Safety Department, World Health Organization, Geneva,
Switzerland
*
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
2
S5
importance of product regulation. The

priate regulation of practices and practiBOX 1. Traditional medicine health
emphasis should be on the monitoring
tioners is not in place. The goals of WHO
service integration in China.
and implementation of established
Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023
regulations of TM products. Since herbal
are to support member states in harnessIn China, there are about 440,700
medicines are now used internationally,
ing the potential contributions of T&CM
health care institutions providing TM
services, with 520,600 patient beds,
products often used in parts of the
to health, wellness, people-centred
including all levels of TM hospitals
world other than that in which they
health care, and universal health coverand general hospitals, clinics, and
were originally grown, developed,
age, while also promoting safe and effechealth stations in urban and rural
or manufactured. This highlights the
tive use of T&CM through the regulation,
areas. About 90% of general hospiimportance of considering different
research, and integration of T&CM prodtals include a TM department and
legislative frameworks in different
ucts, practices, and practitioners into the
provide TM services for all patients.
countries, and ensures that information
health system, as appropriate.
TM medical institutions are governed
on quality and safety is shared so that
It should be emphasized that
by the same national legislation on
products are used appropriately.
given the great diversity of products,
medical institutions as conventional
The second strategic direction is to
practices, and practitioners in T&CM
medical institutions. TM practitioners
recognize and develop T&CM practice
among the member states, it is
are allowed to practice in both public
and practitioner regulations for educaimportant to enhance international
and private clinics and hospitals. The
tion and training, skills development,
communication and collaboration in
public is free to choose their preferred
services, and therapies. As more counsharing knowledge and practices, in
form of health care services, or follow
tries develop policies and regulatory
developing and exchanging scientific
the advice of their doctors (12).
frameworks, there is a need to evaluate
knowledge and training programs, and
their effectiveness and identify ways in
in sharing experiences in developing
which challenges regarding practice and practitioner regulaand implementing policies and regulations. Also, as the
tions can be addressed by benchmarking against appropriate
marketplace for T&CM becomes more globalized, the quality,
reference standards.
safety, proper use, and efficacy of T&CM in different nations
need to be harmonized and standardized utilizing evidenceObjective 3: To promote universal health coverage by
based science.
integrating T&CM services into health care service delivery and
self-health care. One of the most significant questions raised
about T&CM in recent years is how it might contribute to
References
universal health coverage by improving service delivery in the
1. A. A. Abdullahi, African J. Trad., Comp. and Altern. Med. 8, 115

(2011).
health system, particularly primary health care. A first step is to
2. Lao Ministry of Health and World Health Organization. Health
capitalize on the potential contribution of T&CM to improve

Service Delivery Profile, Lao PDR, 2012 (Compiled in collab-
health services and health outcomes. Mindful of the traditions

oration between WHO and Ministry of Health, Lao PDR, 2012),
and customs of peoples and communities, member states

http://www.wpro.who.int/health_services/service_delivery_pro
should consider how T&CM might support disease prevention

file_laop dr.pdf.
or treatment as well as health maintenance and health promo3. European Information Centre for Complementary & Alternative
tion. This process should be consistent with safety, quality, and
Medicine (http://www.eiccam.eu/home.php?il=1&l=eng).
effectiveness standards and in line with patient choice and
4. State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Report of
expectations. Based on each countrys realities, it is recom
a survey on T&CM basic situation in 2009 (2011).
5. WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 (World Health
mended that models for integrating T&CM into national health

Organization, Geneva, 2013), pp. 15-56.
systems should be explored.
6. World Health Organization, Progress report on decade of
Next, it is important to ensure that consumers of T&CM

traditional medicine in the Africa region (WHO African Region
can make informed choices about self-health care. In many

(AFRO), Brazzaville, 2011).
member states, self-selection of T&CM products accounts for
7. Retrieved from http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/pn
a large part of the T&CM market. Education of consumers,

pic_access_expansion_initiative.pdf.
together with ethical and legal considerations, should sup8. E.C. Moschik et al., Usage and Attitudes of Physicians in Japan
port and shape the key aspects of informed choice for T&CM

Concerning Traditional Japanese Medicine (Kampo Medicine):
intervention.

A Descriptive Evaluation of a Representative Questionnaire-
The WHO resolution WHA67.18 urges member states to

Based Survey. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative
Medicine. 2012, (Article ID 139818, 13 pgs, 2012).
adapt, adopt, and implement the WHO Traditional Medicine
9. Swiss Confederation, Five CAM methods eligible for
Strategy 20142023 as a basis for national T&CM programs or
reimbursement under specific conditions for a provisional
work plans and to report to WHO on progress in implementing

period of six years. (2011; www.bag.admin.ch/aktuell
the strategy. The resolution also encourages WHO to support

/00718/01220/index html?lang=de&msg-id=37173).
member states in the implementation of the strategy in the
10. WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20022005 (World Health
coming decade (11).

Organization, Geneva, 2002).
Conclusions
Around the world, T&CM continues to grow in popularity.

Progress in the regulation of T&CM is gaining momentum,
even as that of T&CM practices and practitioners advances at
a somewhat slower pace. Safety, quality, and effectiveness of
T&CM services is paramount, but cannot be ensured if appro-
S6
11.

12.

World Health Organization, WHO Governing Body

Documentation Official Records, http://apps.who.int/gb/or/.
Government of China, National Bureau of Statistics of China.
China Statistical Yearbook 2011: Chinese Medicine (19872010)
(The State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
China, 2011).
A global scientific challenge: Learning the right lessons

from ancient healing practices
Author:
Josephine P.
Briggs
ealth is a fundamental human value.

Consequently, most cultures have sought after and used a
broad range of healing practices. In both developed and
developing economies, the practices of modern medicine
exist side-by-side with traditional approaches and alternative remedies. For many living in developing economies,
traditional healers and herbal remedies are the only source
of available health care. In contrast, developed economies
typically use these approaches as an optional complement
to modern medicine, driven by patient preference. However,
in both China and India, the ancient medical traditionstraditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicinehave flourished either in parallel or integrated with advanced modern
care. Currently, in North America and Europe certain ancient
healing practicessuch as acupuncture, traditional Chinese
medicine, massage, and meditationhave generated increasing interest and are seen as gentler, low-tech complements
to conventional care.
The persistence of such traditional practices in these
settings suggests we have much to learn from them. Modern
scientific methods can offer means to examine traditional
practices. In this brief perspective, a few examples of
traditional remedies are discussed to illustrate the issues
we face in thinking about the intersection between modern
medicine and traditional healing practices.
Malaria and botanical-based therapies
About half of the pharmaceuticals developed over the last

two decades and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were either natural products, synthetic derivatives, or had at their core a prototype molecule derived from a
natural product (1). Continuing to development therapeutics
from natural sources is imperative for finding new treatments,
and healing traditions can provide insight into such resources.
Moreover, many modern therapeutics exploit the ability of
plants to synthesize a wide range of small molecules of great
variety and complexity. Plant-based medicines remain important sources of therapeutics for much of the worlds population, and plant-derived products remain a major source of new
therapeutic small molecules.
Treatment of malaria is a case in point. Modern malaria
treatment started with the discovery of Cinchona (Rubiaceae)
bark, which was reportedly being used in South American
native traditional healing practices and was brought back to
Europe by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century. Until the
mid-1990s, virtually all treatments for malaria were molecular
entities based on the terpenoid structure of the Cinchona
medicine research.
alkaloids. This includes quinine, chloroquine, and the synthetic

derivative mefloquine. The alkaloids are abundant in Cinchona bark, up to 15 percent by weight, and quinine itself can
represent half or more of the alkaloid content (2). Simple tea
extracts of Cinchona bark have substantial antimalarial activity.
Quinine-based compounds remain critical for both the treatment of malaria and for prophylaxis, but the emergence of
resistance, particularly for Plasmodium falciparum, has created
enormous urgency to develop new agents.
The next chapter in the development of antimalarial therapy
belongs to Artemisia annuaa vigorous weedy annual which is
widespread throughout the world (Figure 1A). Artemisia annua
is known in Chinese herbal tradition as qinghao and as sweet
wormwood in Europe. The development of artemisinin-based
antimalarials represents one of the great recent victories for
ethnomedicine. The discovery was a complex team effort,
initially led by the Chinese, later bringing in Western nonprofit
and governmental entities and pharmaceutical companies (3,
4). The story illustrates how healing traditions can point scientists in a direction to find new medicines, but also exemplifies
how challenging developing therapeutics from plants can be.
The Chinese government funded a major screening effort,
Project 523, which was undertaken to test a large number of
herbs, using a mouse model of malaria. Using a labor intensive
methodology, they studied thousands of herbs, hundreds of
extraction recipes, and had hundreds of hits. Moving from
these hits to the initial isolation and characterization of a bioactive compound required enormous persistence. The effort
to find a new treatment could easily have failed; the reports
suggested that drug responses were fleeting at times and difficult to reproduce. However, a gentle extraction method that
maintained activity of the active principle was finally developed by Tu YouYou (3). In contrast with the Cinchona alkaloids,
artemisinin (Figure 1B) is present in only low concentrations,
sometimes as low as 0.05% by weight (2). Additionally, it is
detected only in Artemisia annua, but not in other Artemisia
species. Its unusual endoperoxide structure is critical for activity, but is relatively unstable under many extraction conditions.
Nevertheless, the effort succeeded, yielding a small molecule
that is now the cornerstone of malaria treatment.
Acupuncture and chronic pain
Acupuncture is an integral part of Asian medical traditions,

where it is widely used in traditional practice settings and
its efficacy in relieving pain is taken as a given; however,
acupunctures introduction into American and European
health care settings, while welcomed by many patients and
providers, has encountered substantial skepticism from
medical professionals. A sizable number of clinical trials have
been implemented to explore its value, many of which are
focused on pain management. These have included both
Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
[email protected]
S7
FIGURE 1. Artemisinin. (A)

Artemisia annua, also known as
sweet wormwood or qinghuo.
(B) The chemical structure of
artemisinin.
efficacy and effectiveness trials. Efficacy trials generally

compare acupuncture to a sham control designed to be
indistinguishable to the subject from traditional acupuncture.
The typical sham controls use the same ritual, the same
practitioner reassurance, and the same counter-irritant
effect of needles or pressure points as the comparison
group (although the needles may be replaced with nonpenetrating devices and the insertion points chosen do not
lie on treatment meridians). Effectiveness trials typically
compare a subjects response to different treatments, which
are randomly assigned and include either acupuncture or
standard care.
A recent, systematic review of 29 trials, with approximately
18,000 study participants, resulted in some clear conclusions: The magnitude of acupunctures effect depends upon
which group is used for a comparison (5). Specifically, when
acupuncture was compared to no acupuncture (in effectiveness studies), the benefit appears to be quite sizable,
approximately 50% reduction in pain severity. In contrast,
when acupuncture is compared to a sham treatment (in efficacy studies), more modest effects are observed (Figure 2).
Although statistical significance is achieved, the reduction in
pain severity is not as substantial, typically only 20%. Based
on this analysis, it seems reasonable to conclude that needling itself may be contributing to acupunctures pain-reducing effects, and that the overall benefit is heavily dependent
on contexton the reassurance and expectation produced by
the acupuncture ritual.
What does this mean for clinical practice? Here, the
arguments erupt. Is a contextual effect (some would call
it a placebo) that relieves pain and reduces the need for
medication an acceptable form of treatment? This is still, for
many Western practitioners, a quandary to which there is no
simple answer. Building a better biological understanding
based on the neuroscience of pain may provide some
common ground. As we learn more about the central
pain circuits, the mechanisms underlying acupunctures
S8
FIGURE 2. Acupuncture
effects compared with
controls. The results of a
meta-analysis of 29 highquality randomized clinical
trials of acupuncture are
shown for three conditions.
Differences in the average
standardized mean (with
95% confidence intervals)
for treatment relative to
control is shown. When
compared to no treatment,
acupuncture produces
striking improvement;
however, when compared to
sham treatments, the effect
is more modest (5).
effectsspecific and nonspecificcan also be teased out.

Acupuncture appears to modulate the central circuitry for
pain (6), partially from the peripheral actions of adenosine
(7) and partially from the centralized actions of endorphins
(8). Moreover, there may be overlap in the descending pain
circuits recruited by the specific and contextual effects.
Ultimately the goal of the research is clear. We need
better treatments for pain without the sedative, narcotic, and
addictive effects of the available drugs. Understanding this
ancient tradition is a good place to turn for insights that will
improve pain treatment.
Traditional versus modern medical systems
A major difference between resource intensive and

resource poor environments is the extent to which common
complaints of daily living are viewed as medical problems
requiring intervention, help, and treatment. Medicalization
has been defined as, the process by which human conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as
medical conditions, and thus become the subject of medical
study, diagnosis, or treatment (9). As health care providers in
resource-intensive environments, we often take for granted the
medicalization of a wide range of complaintssadness, worry,
fatigue, musculoskeletal discomforts, and even restless legsas
necessary and normal.
Comparisons of traditional and modern health systems
challenge these assumptions. Modern medicine has created
a set of symptoms-based diagnostic categories for a range of
common problems that differ greatly from those in traditional
health systems. Diagnostic criteria, based on symptoms and
limited physical findings but lacking laboratory diagnostic criteria, have been developed for a variety of physical
complaints, such as chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic
functional pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, interstitial
cystitis, vulvodynia, and chronic prostatitis. These diagnostic categories carry clinical insights about symptoms that
cluster together, and sometimes patients can benefit. The
diagnoses may provide some clarity and community support.

Nevertheless, although there is some evidence for efficacy of
pharmaceutical treatments for some such conditions, often
these disorders respond inconsistently or poorly to available
treatments. There is also clinical concern that sometimes
these diagnoses can contribute to an expectation of chronic
functional impairment.
Traditional diagnoses often emphasize a temporary imbalance and promote an expectation that the subject will return
to health. Although many patients with these conditions
seek alternative remedies, most of the evidence of benefit
is anecdotal. In resource-poor environments, people almost
certainly suffer from the same set of symptoms, and anecdotally, at least, these complaints may sometimes be effectively
addressed through the care of traditional healers. We are
currently supporting a small number of trials that address
whether the emotional and social support of interventions
such as tai chi (10), yoga, or mindfulness-based meditation
may capture some of the benefit of the healing traditions.
Clearly, Western medicine does not have all the answers,
and systems of care that allow thoughtful integration of

healing traditions with modern medicine may offer help to
troubled patients.
References
1. D. J. Newman, G. M. Cragg, J. Nat. Prod. 70, 461 (2007).
2. P. M. Dewick, Medicinal Natural Products: A Biosynthetic
Approach. (Wiley, New York, ed. 3, 2009). pp.335336.
3. Y. Tu, Nat. Med. 17, 1217 (2011).
4. D. G. Dalyrmple. Artemisia annua, Artemisinin, ACTs and

Malaria Control in Africa: Tradition, Science and Public
Policy. (Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC,

2012).
5. A. J. Vickers et al., Arch. Int. Med. 172, 1444 (2012).
6. J. Kong et al., Neuroimage 47, 1066 (2009).
7. T. Takano et al., J. Pain 13, 1215 (2012).
8. J. S. Han, Neurosci. Lett. 361, 258 (2004).
9. Medicalization entry. Wikipedia. Accessed at: http://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicalization on June 21, 2014.
10. C. Wang et al., NEJM 363, 743 (2010).
S9
East is East and West is West, and never

the twain shall meet?
Authors:
Yan Schron1,3,
Herman A. van
Wietmarschen1,2,, Mei
Wang1,5,
Eduard P. van Wijk1,4,
Thomas Hankemeier4,
Guowang Xu1,6,
Jan van der
Greef1,2,4,5*
estern medicine and Chinese

medicine developed within the context of different cultures and perspectives of the natural
world. The more reductionistic approach of
Western biomedical sciences has generated
tremendous knowledge of anatomy, physiology, histology, genetics, and biochemistry,
while the phenomenological approach of
Chinese medicine has produced a more holistic understanding of biology. The two concepts are complementary, and combining them to optimally balance detail and
context could generate a highly rewarding step forward for
medicine.
A diversity of perspectives on life and consciousness has
developed across humanitys different cultures. In the Western
Hemisphere, a key development was the affirmation by Greek
Ionian scholars such as Thales, Pythagoras, and Archimedes
that it was not gods, but rather laws of nature, that create and
organize our reality. The modern concept of the laws of nature
emerged in the seventeenth century through the work of
scholars such as Keppler and Galileo, with the most notable
contributions coming from Newton and from Descartes, who
emphasized a duality between the mind and the physical body.
Philosophers have pondered whether more than one set of
laws was possible. It seems that our conception of natural laws
may depend on our approach to understanding reality. Hawking and Mlodinov introduced the notion of model-dependent
realism, which posits that a physical theory or worldview is a
model with a set of rules that connects the elements of the
model to observations (1). That is, in the words of Hawking and
Mlodinov, There is no picture- or theory-independent concept
of reality, and every model is only an approximation of reality.
The modern Western scientific model arose in the context
of historical and cultural developments that enabled philosophical pursuits and provided fertile ground for philosophers
of science. A different approach to understanding reality and
the laws of nature arose in Eastern cultures, such as China.
Both models can be considered valid, each with its own
model-dependent realism.
Bridging the gap
Although there are many similarities between the Greek

and Chinese concepts of health and medicine, the medical
systems that arose in the West and in the East are quite distinct. Most notably, a highly reductionist, detailed view dominates in the West, whereas a more phenomenological, descriptive, and systems-based view holds sway in China. In recent
decades, Western systems thinkers have started to combine
medicine research.
S10
theories from a variety of disciplines, developing an expanded

systems view of medicine. Systems thinking, and in particular
systems biology, have been recognized as the scientific bridge
between Western medicine and traditional medicine models,
including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (2, 3).
Figure 1 illustrates how systems-based theories can bridge
Eastern and Western models, as well as connecting ancient
and modern ideas. The left forward image shows a dynamic
correlation network of interactions between various genes,
proteins, and metabolites. This nodal network reflects the
particularized understanding of the complexity of biochemical pathways and the dynamic organization of the body that
characterize Western biomedical science. The right forward
imagery is a drawing of the Taoist Inner Landscape. In keeping with ancient Taoist tradition, the drawing provides a poetic
description of the complex relationships among the various
organ functions of the body. The background of the figure
merges two very well-known, almost archetypical, symbols of
systems thinking: the Vitruvian Man (Le proporzioni del corpo
umano secondo Vitruvio) and the Taiji (, the literal translation of which is great pole). The Vitruvian Man is by Leonardo
da Vinci, a visionary and pioneer of the evidence-based scientific view of the universe. A man is pictured within a square,
which reflects the terrestrial aspect of humanity, and a circle,
which represents the spiritual realm. The Taiji (often called the
Yin-Yang symbol in the West) represents the Eastern, Taoist
tradition of systems thinking. It depicts a dynamic relationship
between the two components of a duality that encompasses
the known universe. Interestingly, the Taiji, which symbolizes
humanity as part of an eternal universe, has all the properties
of a fractal.
Amalgamation in action
Figure 2 depicts an amalgamation of Western and Eastern

medical systems, a process that we call systems medicine. The
left side of the figure shows a simplified, hierarchical view of
molecules being organized into cells, with further consolidation into tissues, organs, and, ultimately, a whole organism.
This illustrates the bottom-up approach practiced in Western
biomedical sciences. It has produced a tremendous amount of
knowledge of anatomy, physiology, cells, genes, and biochemistry. It has also created physicians with highly specialized, albeit arguably fragmented, knowledge. In the Western scientific
model, data are collected to generate information, knowledge,
and, ultimately, a form of wisdom. By contrast, traditional medical systems, most prominently TCM, have focused on gaining
a holistic understanding of systems, and on applying that
wisdom in a top-down manner in the search for knowledge,
information, and data that may increase the understanding of
1
Sino-Dutch Centre for Preventive and Personalized Medicine, P. O. Box 360, 3700 AJ,
Zeist, The Netherlands
TNO, P.O. Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands
3
Oxrider, Education and Research, Diessenseweg 51, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands
4
Division of Analytical Biosciences, LACDR, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA
Leiden, The Netherlands
5
SU BioMedicine, Utrechtseweg, Zeist, the Netherlands
6
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China
*
2
(6) examined blood and urine

the web of life. Somewhere in
samples from patients categothe middle these two worldrized by Chinese subtypes of
views meet and this nexus has
pre-diabetes, namely qi and
the potential to yield a valuable
yin deficiency with or without
combination in which detail and
dampness, and qi and yin deficontext are optimally balanced.
ciency with stagnation. NumerOne way to bridge the two
ous sugar and amino acid level
worldviews is through unificadifferences were recorded,
tion of diagnosis, based on an
indicating that the subtypes
integration of the collections
are characterized by variation
and arrangements of symptoms
in carbohydrate metabolism
and signs. Western biomediand renal function.
cal advances offer a plethora
Several other studies have
of biomarkers that can be
also shown that biological
detected and measured with
mechanisms can be correlated
advanced equipment, while
with TCM-based groupings in
Chinese medicine contributes
patients diagnosed in Western
knowledge about the dynamic
medical systems (710).
relationships among signs and
symptoms. The right side of
Figure 2 provides an example
The path ahead
of this inter-relationship for
In the above studies, TCM
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In Chisubtyping and Western diagnese culture, RA is classified as
nostic criteria coincided. This
a Bi Zheng, a so-called painful
suggests that symptom pattern
obstruction syndrome. In TCM
questionnaires could reliably
diagnosis every condition is
standardize the segregation of
primarily distinguished accordpatients into TCM subgroups
FIGURE 1. An artist impression of the ancient and
ing to eight basic principles:
(11). The comprehensive
modern bridge between Chinese and Western
External-Internal, Heat-Cold,
symptom questionnaire used in
medicine.
Excess-Deficiency, and Yin-Yang.
the RA study was based on the
Figure 2 focuses on the ColdTCM perspective of arthritis
Heat differentiation.
as a bi-syndrome. Following
The signs and symptoms of
completion of the questionRA are universally represented across peoples independent
naire, the data was subjected to a principal component
of culture, although variations in concepts and emphasis can
analysis, revealing one principal component related to the
be seen. In TCM, RA patients can be subdivided based on the
concepts of internal and external, plus another related to
predominance of hot versus cold symptoms. Examples
cold and hot (11). These findings support the contention
of hot symptoms, as illustrated in Figure 2, are thirst, fever,
that TCM concepts have a basis in actual biological variation
irritability, restlessness, warm feeling, dry mouth, and pain that
among patients. The current challenge is to uncover nonis relieved by cold, while cold symptoms include clear urine,
linear relationships between the diagnostic symptom clusters
sharp pain, stiff joints, and pain that is relieved by warmth.
revealed by the questionnaire results.
This systemic approach may help biomedical researchers to
We believe that Western diagnostics would benefit greatly
distinguish biological subtypes of RA in a manner that could
from the integration of broader knowledge of relationships
lead to personalization of medical care; firstly, through more
between symptoms, including consideration of TCM depersonalized lifestyle advice, and in the long term, through
scriptions of syndromes. TCM descriptions offer potential
the application of modern biomedical technology in studies
directions for detailed, explanatory biomedical research,
of RA subtypes. Ultimately, recognizing the particular indibringing us closer to a biopsychosocial model of health
vidualized presentation of RA across different patients based
in which more and more relationships between diseases,
on a systemic approach may improve treatment choices and
psychology, and behavior are uncovered (12). Arguably, the
outcomes.
dearth of understanding of the dynamics of systems presents
Recently, research teams have begun the process of
the greatest opportunity for improvement in Western health
integrating Western and Eastern notions of medicine for RA.
care diagnostics. It is a topic that will only grow in importance
For example, Van Wietmarschen and colleagues (4) used a
as the focus in health care shifts from the treatment of acute
questionnaire to differentiate distinct cold and hot RA
disease to the long-term management and prevention of
subtypes. These two patient groups display differences in the chronic diseases. Among the more promising developments
regulation of apoptosis, in CD4+ T cell gene expression levthat may improve our understanding of system dynamics are
els, and in plasma and urine metabolite profiles. In another
the application of nonlinear dynamic modeling techniques to
study, 11 acylcarnitine metabolite variants associated with
the study of coherent oscillations in the brain (13), examination
differences in muscle breakdown was used to distinguish
of the synchronization of physiological rhythms such as heart
between the cold and hot RA subtypes (5).
beat and breathing rhythms (14), and the study of metaIn similar recent work on pre-diabetes, Wei and colleagues bolic processes that show oscillatory behavior (15). Another
S11
Zheng: A systems biology approach

to diagnosis and treatments
FIGURE 2. Systems medicine.

A hierarchical systems view
on human biology (left)
scientific studies in Western
medicine develop typically via a
biochemistry/pathway bottomup approach, while in Chinese
medicine, a top-down dynamic
symptom relationship approach
is more common. The right image
illustrates the diagnostic bridge
between symptom relations in
Chinese Medicine bi-syndrome
(top) and Western medicine
(bottom) for rheumatoid arthritis.
intriguing area being examined is the coherent, spontaneous

ultra-weak photon emission patterns of organisms (16, 17).
Recent work suggests that photon distribution dynamics may
provide insights into regulatory coherence at a high systems
level (18, 19). Indeed, these coherent light functions may be
directly involved in communication in addition to influencing
biochemical networks (20, 21).
It should also be clear that modern quantitative technologies developed in the West have a great deal to offer to
Chinese diagnostics. Especially relevant are methodologies
that provide information about the large-scale organization of
systems as well as the dynamics of such organization (Figure 2).
Integration of Western and Chinese medicine thinking has
enormous potential for synthesizing modern technological
and social innovation. Although Chinese and Western medicine are perceived as wholly distinct paradigms today, they
are poised to merge in the arena of personalized systems
medicine, wherein patients can take a greater role in managing their own health and wellness. Human-human relationships
are critical for diagnosis and intervention in a biopsychosocial context, with health care providers supporting patients
through an empathic coaching role. The integration of Western
and Chinese medicine can be much more than the sum of the
parts: it can accelerate the shift from disease management to
health promotion that is presently taking place in health care
systems around the world. Although, as Kipling states in the
opening lines of his famous poem, East is East and West is
West (22), at least in the realm of diagnostic medicine, these
two world cultures have met.
References
1. S. Hawking, L. Mlodinov, The Grand Design (Bantam Press, New
S12
Authors:
Yonghua Wang and
Anlong Xu*
raditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

is an ancient medical practice system which
emphasizes regulating the integrity of the human body
and its interrelationship with natural environments. As a
key concept in TCM, Zheng (meaning syndrome or pattern)
is the overall physiological and/or pathological pattern
of the human body in response to a given internal and
external condition, which usually is an abstraction of internal
disharmony defined by a comprehensive analysis of the
clinical symptoms and signs gathered by a practitioner
using inspection, auscultation, olfaction, interrogation, and
palpation of the pulses (1). Correctly identifying the Zheng
is fundamental for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
York, 2010).
2. M. Wang et al., J. Phytother. Res. 19, 173 (2005).
3. J. van der Greef, H. van Wietmarschen, Y. Schron, M. Wang,

T. Hankemeier, G. Xu., Planta Med. 76, 1 (2010).
4. H. van Wietmarschen et al., J. Clin. Rheumatol. 15, 330 (2009).
5. H. van Wietmarschen et al., PLOS ONE 7:e44331 (2012).
6. H. Wei et al., Mol. Biosyst. 8, 1482 (2012).
7. S. Li et al., IET Syst. Biol. 1, 51 (2007).
8. C. Matsumoto, T. Kojima, K. Ogawa et al., Evid.-Based Compl.

Altern. Med. 5, 463 (2008).
9. B. Patwardhan, G. Bodeker, J. Altern. Compl. Med. 14, 571

(2008).
10. Q. Wang, S. Yao, Am. J. Chin. Med. 36, 827 (2008).
11. H. van Wietmarschen et al., PLOS ONE 6:e24846 (2011).
12. G. Engel, Science 196, 129 (1977).
13. G. Buzski, A. Draguhn, Science 304, 1926 (2004).
14. L. Glass, Nature 410, 277 (2011).
15. J. Bass, J. S. Takahashi, Science 330, 1349 (2010).
16. F. A. Popp, L. Beloussov, Integrative Biophysics: Biophotonics

(Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2003).
17. R. van Wijk, Light in Shaping Life: Biophotons in Biology and
Medicine (Ten Brink, Meppel, 2014).
18. R.P. Bajpai, E. P. A. van Wijk, R. van Wijk, J.van der Greef, J.

Photochem. Photobiol. B. 129 6 (2013).
19. R. van Wijk, E. P. A. van Wijk, H. A. van Wietmarschen, J. van

der Greef, J. Photochem. Photobiol. B. S1011 (2013).
20. G. Albrecht-Buehler, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102 5050 (2005).
21. D. Fels, PLOS ONE 4, e5086 (2009).
22. R. Kipling, The Ballad of East and West (Sterling Publishing Co.

Inc., New York, 1889).
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Charlotte Lokin for producing the artwork shown
in Figure 1.
to systems level is important for advancing the identification

and treatment of these syndromes, and for providing more
objective and quantitative diagnostic criteria.
Zheng-guided disease research
In Western medicine, a disease is a particular abnormal and

pathological condition that affects part or all of the human
body and is often construed as a medical condition associated
with specific symptoms. By contrast, Zheng puts forth a very
different definition of a disease and encompasses all of the
symptoms a patient presents.
Because of the highly interconnected nature of the human
interactome, it is difficult to study different diseases at the
molecular level completely independent of one another (3),
and this issue also applies to Zhengs. Moreover, Zhengs are
dynamic with changing boundaries, overlapping symptoms,
FIGURE 1. Using
systems pharmacology
and systems biology
approaches for
understanding TCM
Zheng can help bridge
the gap between
herbal medicines
and diseases. Se, face
color; Xing, body
shape; She, tongue
texture; Mai, pulse.
Moreover, Zheng has been historically applied as the key

pathological principle guiding the prescription of herbal
formulas (Figure 1).
A lack of research on Zheng has left us with little understanding of its underlying biology or the relationships
between different Zhengs, diseases, and drugs. Moreover,
there have been attempts to integrate Zheng differentiation with modern biomedical diagnostic methods, though
these efforts have not achieved the desired results (2). Many
well-known herbal recipes, such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
and Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan, have long been used for the clinical treatment of Zheng disorders; however, Zheng-guided
treatments are still scarce due to the lack of evidence-based
interpretations of syndromes and treatment efficacies. Thus,
investigating the biological basis of Zhengs from a molecular
medicine research.
and a multiscale nature, which makes them difficult to understand at a biological and mechanistic level. Thus, we propose
that a comprehensive Zheng map be constructed that links
together all the Zhengs based on their molecular and cellular
relationships. Further, we suggest creating the Zhengome as
a new 'omics field, in which a network is the basic research unit
used to investigate the hierarchy present in the human body,
from the molecular to the systems level. A comprehensive
understanding of the Zhengome requires us to bring together
multiple sources of evidence, from shared genes to proteinprotein interactions, shared environmental factors, common
treatments, and phenotypic and clinical manifestations, in order to capture the relationships between the different Zhengs.
Zheng uses the Yin-Yang, exterior-interior, cold-heat, and
deficiency-excess definitions to describe patients conditions,
which are then managed by Zheng-specific recipes (Figure 1).
Modern 'omics techniques combined with bioinformatics and
bionetwork models through a systems biology approach have
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
*
S13
been applied to investigate the differences between Zhengs

and to identify novel biomarkers. For instance, rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) patients differentiated on the basis of hot and
cold Zhengs have been shown to be associated with different underlying genomic and metabolomic profiles, with the
RA hot group showing more apoptotic activity than the cold
group (4). Additionally, Li et al. used a network-based computational model to understand Zheng in the context of the
neuro-endocrine-immune network and found that cold and
hot Zhengs were closely related to a metabolism-immune
imbalance (5). Wang and colleagues investigated the urine
metabolome of patients with jaundice syndrome and its two
subtypes of Yang Huang (acute) and Yin Huang (chronic), and
identified several biomarker metabolites (6). However, most
of the current studies have relied on only one or two approaches for molecular profiling and have lacked an efficient
method to integrate data obtained at different 'omic levels.
These studies also did not look at combining the analysis of
molecular data with clinical variables, possibly missing an
opportunity to generate more convincing conclusions. Considering the limitations of past studies, future efforts should
integrate an analysis for all levels of 'omics (e.g., genomics,
transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics) data from
a large number of patient samples for different Zhengs and
include an investigation of the prognostic and therapeutic
utilities of the data as a whole. Moreover, combining these
molecular data with patients clinical information could provide evidence-based theoretical interpretations for Zhengs
and enable an assessment of Zheng-based therapeutic approaches.
Zhengs may change dynamically during disease
progression. Differentiating the specific Zheng involved in
each stage of a disease could provide valuable guidance for
prescribing a dynamic therapeutic recipe. Using dynamic
network modeling, a disease process can be conceptualized
as spatio-temporal changes in network structures. The
changes associated with a Zheng under dynamic therapy can
be used to identify the key factors in the dynamic biological
networks. Appropriate network perturbation models and
subsequent robustness and topology analysis could help
unveil potential disease-related genes or therapeutic targets
involved in a diseases progression or evolution (7). The
relationships between the different aspects of a disease (e.g.,
main symptoms versus complications) in a specific Zheng as
well as the psychological, social, and even environmental
factors should be taken into account during the modeling
and simulation process in order to uncover the dynamic
nature of complex diseases. Combining a Zhengome
approach with dynamic modeling has the potential for
establishing an accurate and quantitative Zheng research
model, as well as for creating a new system for performing
disease research.
Zheng-driven drug discovery
Despite considerable progress in genome, transcriptome,

proteome, and metabolome-based high throughput screening methods and in rational drug design, drug discovery often encounters considerable costly failures that challenge the
fidelity of the modern drug discovery system. Zheng-driven
drug discovery has shown tremendous success for traditional drug discovery throughout Chinese medicines history.
However, since this concept is completely new to Western
S14
medicine, it is no easy task to incorporate Zheng-driven drug

discovery into modern drug discovery workflows.
Here, we propose the Zheng to TCM and TCM to Zheng
strategies within the framework of systems pharmacology to
investigate biological systems and develop new therapeutics
(Figure 2). The first strategy, Zheng to TCM, proposes
developing a pipeline from Zheng diagnoses to TCM drugs,
including differentiating Zhengs, identifying Zheng-related
diseases and the associated genes and proteins, reverse
targeting of drug effects, constructing and analyzing
network/systems, and finally identifying effective herbal
medicines (8). In effect, this strategy can be considered a
reverse targeting and screening approach that is designed to
uncover drugs from natural products that can target multiple
Zhengs or related diseases. The goal of this method is to help
researchers identify the active components within medicinal
plants and multi-ingredient synergistic herbal formulas or
drug combinations (9). In fact, this novel strategy has already
been successfully applied in a qi-blood study, where we
identified the active compounds in the qi-enriching and
blood-tonifying herbs, their targets, and the corresponding
pathways involved in the treatment of qi and blood deficiency
syndromes (8).
The second strategy, TCM to Zheng, consists of a wholesystem evaluation process starting with herbs or herbal
formulas and culminating in identifying the Zhengs. This
process includes the initial collection and classification of
herbal medicines; screening the ingredients for absorption,
distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME/T);
performing targeted drug screenings and tissue localization;
constructing and analyzing networks; and finally identifying
Zhengs/diseases (10). Using this strategy, it is possible to
identify novel multitarget drugs in natural products (11). One
particularly striking example is the systematic analysis of
blood stasis and qi deficiency syndrome in coronary heart
disease and the herbal drugs used to treat the syndromes.
The results indicate that the herbs for eliminating blood
stasis have pharmacological activity that acts to dilate blood
vessel, improve the microcirculation, reduce blood viscosity,
and regulate blood lipid, while qi-enhancing herbs have
the potential for enhancing energy metabolism and antiinflammatory activity (12). The TCM to Zheng strategy can
also help to elucidate the pharmacological effectiveness of
herbs and formulas.
In our ongoing work investigating Pi-deficiency syndrome
(PDS) in the context of Zheng, we are analyzing patient
samples using the sequencing alternative polyadenylation
sites (SAPAS) method, RNA sequencing (13), lipid metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics in order to decipher
the pathogenesis and complex responses of the human body
to PDS. From a drug development perspective, we plan to
systematically investigate the Si Jun Zi decoction, a widely
used herbal recipe for PDS, within the framework of the TCM
to Zheng strategy, so as to understand why this recipe can
regulate the immune response, stimulate blood circulation,
and adjust gastrointestinal digestive functions. Despite the
progress in Zheng-guided drug discovery, its future success
requires the integration of multidisciplinary technologies,
together with further innovations in these technologies, to
facilitate the understanding of multifactorial diseases and the
development of new therapies.
FIGURE 2. Zhengdriven drug

discovery using
Pi-deficiency
syndrome and Si
Jun Zi decoction
as examples. (A)
A Zheng to TCM
procedure can
build a pipeline
from Pi-deficiency
syndrome (PDS)
to new effective
herb/drug
combinations by
integrating 'omics
data, network
and pathway
analysis, and
pharmacokinetic
evaluation
technologies. SRS,
Shi-Re syndrome,
is a positive control
for PDS. (B) An
example of a TCM
to Zheng strategy
consisting of an
entire evaluation
process from Si
Jun Zi decoction
(SJZD) to PDS
through a systems
pharmacology
strategy
including text
mining, ADME/T
(absorption,
distribution,
metabolism,
excretion, and toxicity) screening, target identification, and network analysis to reveal the underlying mechanisms of SJZD activity and
build new diagnostic methods for PDS.
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S15
Integrated network-based medicine: The role of

traditional Chinese medicine in developing a new
generation of medicine
Authors:
Elaine Lai-Han Leung,
Vincent Kam-Wai
Wong, Zhi-Hong Jiang,
Ting Li, Liang Liu*
It may also overlook potentially useful global network effects

that an intervention may have. For example, metformin
was originally regarded solely as an anti-diabetic drug that
inhibits the mitochondrial respiratory chain and activates
the 5 adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase
pathway, resulting in inhibition of gluconeogenesis and the
lowering blood glucose levels (2). Recently, a novel anticancer effect of metformin was identified by studying the
ccording to the philosophy

of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),
health is the state of harmony between
individual internal physiological networks
(IPNs) and external environmental networks (EENs). Aberrant
interactions between and within
these networks cause complex
diseases. TCM is grounded
in these holistic principles,
integrating philosophies from
art and science; it stresses the
maintenance of balance, or
homeostasis, between the systems
of the body and nature.
We believe that this kind of
network-based holistic approach
to medicine offers a useful
counterpoint to todays biological reductionism-based thinking. We champion integrated
network-based medicine (INBM)
which takes a systems approach
to understanding the individuals
body as a whole, as opposed to
relying on discrete components
such as gene mutations, in order
to explain illness (1). Built on the
principles of IPNs and EENs, INBM
offers a comprehensive medical
system that integrates fundamental theories, diagnostic methods,
and therapeutics based on a hoFIGURE 1. How integrated network-based medicine (INBM) works. TCM,
listic and dynamic network-based
traditional Chinese medicine.
approach.
The INBM system
Reductionist approaches to
medicine, such as phenotypebased and target-based biomedicine (TBBM), are limited by
their failure to consider the interactive nature of the human
body and its environment. TBBM often views a disease as a
tissue/organ-based condition that presents a single target
for treatment, such as the elimination of a pathogen or the
suppression of a disease-associated molecular target. This
narrow focus can miss a broader range of pathogens and
targets within the physiological and environmental networks.
medicine research.
S16
overall impact of drug on the glucose metabolic network

(3). This has raised the possibility that the drug will have new
therapeutic uses (4). Efforts to focus on a single target can
also have deleterious effects on the bodys overall system.
An example is indomethacin, a conventional Westernmedicine drug. Indomethicin exerts an anti-inflammatory
effect by inhibiting prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis (5), but
this suppression of PGE2 also affects a receptor for mucus
secretion, leading to gastric mucosa damage (6, 7). A holistic
view of the bodys network of connections will anticipate such
State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of
Science and Technology, Macau, China
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
FIGURE 2. The impact of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) components on signal transduction pathways involved in immune activation.
PMA, phorbol myristate acetate; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; TCR, T cell receptor; CRAC, calcium release-activated
channels. Ca2+, calcium ions; B7, B cell activation antigen B7; CD28, Cluster of Differentiation 28; Src, proto-oncogene tyrosineprotein kinase Src; Syk, spleen tyrosine kinase; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase; PLC-1, phospholipase C 1;
DAG, dimeric acidic glycoprotein (clusterin); IP3, inositol trisphosphate; PDK1, pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase 1; PKC,
Protein kinase C ; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; Akt, serine/threonine-specific protein kinase, also known as protein kinase B; -TrCP,
-transducin repeat-containing protein; IKK, IB kinase ; IKK, IB kinase ; IKK, IB kinase ; NFAT, nuclear factor of activated T
cells; IB, IB kinase ; NFB, nuclear factor-B; AP-1; activator protein 1.
positive and negative impacts of medical treatments.

INBM requires rigorous conceptual design and practical
implementation, and TCM has many principles and resources
to help achieve this. These include pattern differentiation in
diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which can be regarded
as a basic principle for individualized INBM (8). The three
ms of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) provides another ex-
ample: these are multi-chemical components, multi-pharmacological effects, and multi-action targets and pathways. The complex herbal formulae of CHM are intended to
holistically modulate a persons physiological/pathological
networks and, in developing new drug combinations, the
three ms offer a useful optimization tool (9).
Figure 1 illustrates how the three ms approach to the
S17
development of CHMs can be combined with digitalized

medicine advances such as systems biology techniques,
computational technologies, and translational research to
provide the foundation for a personalized INBM strategy.
Our proposal for a new personalized approach to cancer
treatment provides just one example of the use of CHM for
a network-based treatment. We have recently investigated
two CHMs, Panax ginseng and Rhizoma Coptidis, and found
that they inhibit cancer growth, prompting us to investigate
the effects of these herbs on cancer cell metabolism. Using
profiling methods such as liquid chromatography, mass
spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance, we found
alterations to the glucose and fatty acid metabolic pathways
at a network level (10, 11). We therefore speculate that
metabolic biomarkers could be used to identify subgroups
of patients with lipid- and glucose-related metabolic
disorders. These patients are likely to benefit most from the
herbs active compounds. The approach could be further
refined by the application of 'omics technologies to optimize
the synergistic effect of the herbal remedies (1215). With
clinicians and basic researchers working together to create
a database of personal therapeutic responses, continual
improvements to herbal formulations would become
possible.
From TBBM to INBM
How do we turn the INBM system from an idea into a

practice? One major step forward would be the systematic
quantitative and qualitative analysis of individual CHM
components. Such a database would help define parameters
for the combination treatments. One requirement is to
identify, monitor, and control the major metabolic pathways,
as altering a key molecular switch could have unintended,
amplified effects on the entire network. A number of studies
have begun to identify the specific network effects of
various CHM-extracts or CHM-derived chemicals, including
red yeast rice, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F., Ganoderma
lucidum, San Miao Wan, arsenic sulfide, astragaloside IV,
Artemisia capillaris Thunb, Radix Angelica Sinensis, RealgarIndigo naturalis formula, and quinolones (1116). In another
example from our own work, we recently found that an
active component from Ampelopsis grossedentata targets
a novel drug-binding site on IKK- kinase. The use of this
ingredient in combination with dexamethasone suppresses
inflammation in mice and reduces one of dexamethasones
side-effects: shrinkage of the thymus (17). We have also
investigated matrine, an alkaloid found in Radix Sophorae
Flavescentis. This small molecule can activate the Ca2+NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) pathway, resulting
in anergy (immune unresponsiveness), suggesting that
it may be useful for treating autoimmune disorders (18).
Further investigation of network connections revealed that

the CHM components PAB, saikosaponin d, and shikonin
inhibit IKK- and NFB pathways simultaneously, while NFAT
activation can be triggered by matrine. As shown in Figure
2, the overall impact is to trigger immunotolerance (1921).
A number of other studies have also demonstrated networkbased effects in inflammatory diseases and cancer with
CHM compounds such as PHY906 (22), curcumin (23), and
berberine (24).
In conclusion, the development of INBM will enhance our
medical and health care system, and TCM has an important
role to play in building the foundation for the approach. The
route from TBBM to INBM has obstacles, from unraveling the
crosstalk of multiple molecular pathways to understanding
CHMs network effects, to digitalizing the large amounts of
data. Nevertheless, TCMand our ancestors wisdomoffers
us a blueprint for establishing and implementing an INBM
system for the betterment of humankind.
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The hunt for antifibrotic and

profibrotic botanicals
Authors:
Qihe Xu1*,
Yibin Feng2,
Pierre Duez3,
Bruce M. Hendry1,
Peter J. Hylands4
Mechanism
he U.S. governPerform
Drug
mechanistic
ment estimates that 45%
Establish and
Model
studies on
optimize the
of deaths in the United
Identify drug
efficacious drugs
benefit-risk
candidates to be
States can be attributed
Develop and
ratio
tested in these
refine disease
to fibrotic diseases,
models
models suitable
which are characterized by tissue scarfor
drug
discovery
ring and often lead to chronic organ failure (1). Over the past several decades,
researchers have investigated the unFIGURE 1. Steps proposed for an efficacy-based drug development strategy,
derlying mechanisms involved in fibrosis
particularly well-suited for studying antifibrotic botanicals.
and successfully pinpointed a number of
possible drug targets, such as molecular
mediators and effector cells. Moreover,
herbs, and 16 herbal formulae (14, 15).
a number of exceedingly potent and
We found that Fuzheng Huayu and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge
selective compounds against such targets have been devel(SMB) root, a main component of Fuzheng Huayu, display the
oped, although many have fallen short of expectations (2). For
most potent in vitro antifibrotic activities among all the formuexample, the only antifibrotic drug registered in Europe and
lae and herbs that were tested (14). Besides, in a recent systemthe United States, pirfenidone, has shown beneficial effects in
atic review on clinical treatment of chronic hepatitis Bwhich
patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and fibrotic kidney
took into account 138 trials, 62 proprietary traditional drugs,
diseases; however, evidence for its efficacy lies in modest funcand 16,393 patientsSMB and its extracts were pinpointed
tional improvements, although its clinical efficacy on fibrosis
among the top five herbal entities reported to have the most
remains elusive (35). On the other hand, a number of herbal
potent antifibrotic activities (16).
medicinal products, such as those used in traditional Chinese
In contrast, some botanicals are suspected of causing
medicine (TCM), have been reported as modulators of fibrosis,
fibrosis. Herbs have been regularly reported as being associbut definitive, comprehensive scientific evidence of botanicals
ated with chronic liver damage, from Africa to Asia and across
as safe and effective antifibrotic therapeutics is lacking.
the world (1721). In clinical reports from Beijing and Shanghai,
for example, herbs accounted for 21%53.6% of drug-induced
Botanicals: A double-edged sword
liver injury (18, 22, 23). In one of these same studies, biopsy
Botanicals are an important source of antifibrotic activities.
findings indicated that liver fibrosis is not uncommon in paFor example, halofuginone, a derivative of febrifugine isolated
tients with herb-associated liver injury (18).
from Dichroa febrifuga Lour., and curcumin from Curcuma
Herbs have also been reported to be associated with
longa L., are reportedly antifibrotic (68); silymarin, a standardfibrosis of the heart, mesentery, and kidney (24). For example,
ized mixture of flavolignans from milk thistle [Silybum marimesenteric fibrosis has been associated with long-term
anum (Linn.) Gaertn.], has been widely used as a hepatoproconsumption of formulae containing Gardenia jasminoides Ellis
tective and antifibrotic agent in chronic liver diseases (9, 10).
fruits in Japanese patients and renal fibrosis is now well known
Fuzheng Huayu, a formula widely used in China to prevent and
to be induced by some Aristolochia taxa and other species
reverse hepatic fibrosis, has recently completed a Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)-approved phase II trial in the United containing aristolochic acids (AAs) (2527). Once reported
for medicinal use across a number of different regions, AAStates (11, 12).
containing plants are now recognized as a worldwide health
To discover and compare inflammation-independent antithreat and banned in most Western countries due to their
fibrotic activities, we have developed high throughput cellular
models of fibrosis to visualize and quantify excessive accumula- association with AA nephropathy (AAN), including Balkan
endemic nephropathy, which results from consuming grains
tion of total collagens (a gold standard for clinical diagnosis of
contaminated by Aristolochia seeds (27). In vitro and in vivo
fibrosis) and the subsequent disruption of cell monolayers (restudies indicate that many other herbs are associated with
sembling fibrosis-induced disruption of a tissues architecture)
renal fibrosis. Notable examples include Dioscorea villosa
(13). Using this in vitro platform, we have established the direct
antifibrotic activities of five active compounds, 11 individual

medicine research.
S18
Trial
Department of Renal Sciences, Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal

Biology, MRC Centre for Transplantation, Kings College London, London, U.K.
School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
3
Department of Therapeutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Universit de Mons,
Mons, Belgium
4
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Kings College London, London, U.K.
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
2
S19
L. rhizome, an herb commonly used in Australia to treat

symptoms of menopause and rheumatoid arthritis (28), and
Leonurus japonicus Houtt., an herb commonly used in TCM for
gynecology and obstetrics (15, 29). Additionally, we previously
found that ethanolic extracts from unprocessed main roots of
Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. have potent in vitro profibrotic
activities (15)this is likely clinically relevant since consumption
of Aconitum species is known to cause acute renal failure and
has been recently linked to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in
a case report by the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (30).
The impact of identifying and avoiding exposure to profibrotic botanicals is profound. For instance, about one-third of
the Taiwanese population consumed AA-containing herbs between 1997 and 2003 (31), and AAN previously accounted for
up to 10% of all ESRD in Taiwan (32). The banning of AA-containing herbs, together with other efforts such as public-awareness campaigns, education of patients, funding for research
into chronic kidney disease, and provision of integrated care,
has turned Taiwan into one of the few regions with retarded
increase of ESRD incidence (33).
Moving forward
Due to the contradictory and complex roles botanicals play

in fibrotic diseases, there is an urgent need for studies that investigate the efficacy, safety, and good practices for botanicalbased remedies.
Since fibrotic diseases are multifactorial conditions and
botanicals are typically multitarget entities, an efficacy-based
strategy is particularly well-suited for studying antifibrotic
botanicals (Figure 1).
Such a strategy is highly dependent on disease modeling.
It is worth emphasizing that innovation is needed to develop
high-quality in silico, in vitro, and in vivo models that can
facilitate the investigation of antifibrotics and detect profibrotic
activities.
Because evidence-based medicine is a relatively new
concept in many countries (34), many clinical reports on herbal
treatment of fibrotic diseases are criticized for poor quality.
Diseases for which the literature has been recently reviewed
include liver fibrosis (35, 36), pulmonary fibrosis (36), multiple
sclerosis (36), and adhesive small bowel obstruction (37). An
efficacy-based strategy ultimately demands high-quality clinical trials to prove antifibrotic effects and invites interregional
cooperation on pharmacovigilance of profibrotic botanicals,
which is challenging due to the insidious nature of fibrosis and
the variability in the distribution channels and legal status of
botanicals across regions (38, 39).
Finally, traditional use is only an indication but certainly not
a proof of either safety or efficacy (40). To harness and understand botanicals both as potential antifibrotic therapeutics
and for the prevention of fibrotic diseases, future research and
innovation must focus on efficacy and safety, and must be built
on and contribute to good practices, which we have recently
defined at length (41). Development and refinement of good
practices, however, can only be achieved with sustainable
funding.
References
1. T. A. Wynn, Nat. Rev. Immunol. 4, 583 (2004).

2. S. L. Friedman, D. Sheppard, J. S. Duffield, S. Violette, Sci. Transl.
Med. 5, 167sr1 (2013).
S20
3. P. W. Noble et al., Lancet 377, 1760 (2011).

4. K. Sharma et al., J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 22, 1144 (2011).
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169 (2000).
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12. Z. Xu, Nature 480, S90 (2011).
13. Q. Xu, J. T. Norman, S. Shrivastav, J. Lucio-Cazana, J. B. Kopp,

Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 293, F631 (2007).
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Chinese Medicine, X. Kuang Ed, (Intech, Rijeka, 2012), p. 337.
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Frenzel, Eur. J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 25, 1093 (2013).
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Hepatogastroenterology 57, 554 (2010).
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(2007).
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Lukande, Trop. Doct. 42, 206 (2012).
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(2012).
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Food Chem. Toxicol. 46, 3122 (2008).
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Chinese Materia Medica 21, 28 (2005).
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medicines containing aconite. 2013, http://www.mhra.gov.uk/

Safetyinformation/Generalsafety informationandadvice/

Herbalmedicines/ Herbalsafetyupdates/Allherbalsafetyupdates

/CON263932.
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33. V. Jha et al., Lancet 382, 260 (2013).
34. J. Wang, Lancet 375, 532 (2010).
35. F. Cheung et al., Chin. Med. 7, 5 (2012).
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and Treatment of Fibrosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine, J.

Niu, C. Ben, Eds. (Peoples Health Press, Beijing, 2008), p. 31.
37. T. Suo et al., Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 5, CD008836 (2012).
38. EMA, EMA publication EMA/322570/2011 Rev. 3, 2013,

http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_

library/Report/2011/05/WC500106706.pdf.
39. T. P. Fan et al., J. Ethnopharmacol. 140, 568 (2012).
40. Q. Xu et al., BMC Complement Altern. Med. 13, 132 (2013).
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Kidney Research UK and the European Commission for their funding support, and Professor Chih-Wei Yang (Chang
Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of
Medicine, Taiwan) and Professor JolleNortier (Erasme Hospital,
Universit Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium) for their expert
advice in the preparation of this manuscript.
i-Needle: Detecting the biologicalmechanisms of

acupuncture
Authors:
Christine Nardini1,2*,
Sandro Carrara3*,
Yuanhua Liu2,
Valentina Devescovi2,
Youtao Lu2,
Xiaoyuan Zhou2
long standing obstacle to the (full)

integration and acceptance of acupuncture
in conventional medicine lies in the difficulty
of reconciling traditionally defined categories
(acupoints, meridians, and energy flow or qi)
with anatomical structures and biochemical
pathways. Additionally, a unified scientific theory to explain the
diverse effects of acupuncture (from pain control to immunomodulation) is lacking, despite important advances in the
association of purinergic signaling with the effects of acupuncture on pain control. As new technologies simultaneously
offer enhanced capacities to explore breadth (using 'omics)
and depth (using nanobiochips) of biochemical events, we
propose the innovative conjugation of these approaches into
an intelligent needle (i-needle) as a means to overcome the
abovementioned limitations.
Acupuncture is being widely debated in the medical community as a potential alternative or complementary treatment
for many diseases (1). There are numerous challenges to
achieving a consensus over the use of acupuncture in a medical environment, including: filling the gap in knowledge about
the underlying molecular mechanisms of acupuncture, and
(re)interpreting traditional categories (such as acupoints, meridians, and qi) and therapeutic indications within an evidencebased medicine framework. Important questions aimed at increasing our understanding of the molecular effects of needle
stimulation have been posed, mostly regarding pain control
(2), functional recovery of tissue (3), and immunomodulation
(4), with remarkable work done as to the correlation of pain
control with purinergic signaling (5, 6). Using 'omics-based
technology and network representations, researchers have
successfully mapped the molecular underpinnings of traditional categories (7). More generally, the holistic method used
in acupuncture, which has long been difficult to reconcile with
the scientific reductionist viewpoint, has recently been found
to be compatible with a systems biology approach (8).
'Omics-based techniques are diverse and allow for the
screening of targets from nucleic acids (DNA-sequencing,
RNA-sequencing) to proteins and metabolites (mass spectrometry/liquid chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance)
and their heterogeneous interactions (chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing), to name just the major technologies.
Recently, whole new areas of exploration have been opened
with metagenomics and metatranscriptomics where the hostmicrobiome relationship can be analyzed systemically and in
situ. Further, rapidly decreasing costs are permitting researchers to prefigure relatively high spatial (different body regions
and tissues) and temporal resolution. Here, we propose to
integrate such highly resolved molecular, temporal, and spatial

data to reveal the molecular signaling pathways that flow from
the tip of the needle to the disease/injury site.
Understanding the biochemical signaling pathway that
the mechanical rotation of an acupuncture needle sets into
motion (9) is an important starting point. Mechanosensing
and mechanotransduction are widespread in biology with
well-assessed relevance in embryonic development, i.e., type
1 epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (10). Their roles,
however, have not been well explored under the broader
definition of EMT (11)which includes events such as wound
healing (type 2 EMT) and cancer (type 3 EMT)despite promising therapeutic results when mechanical stimulation is locally
applied (12). Acupuncture needle stimulation (9) and low
level laser therapy (13) are among the triggers that have been
shown to initiate a series of synergistic events, including calcium waves, ATP fluxes (purinergic signaling), and changes in
reactive oxygen and nitrogen species concentration, known to
initiate healing (14, 15). The homeostatic effects of type 2 EMT
include local changes in purinergic signaling, inflammation
control, regeneration, and remodeling at the site of injury. By
contrast, acupuncture is recommended for systemic diseases
like rheumatoid arthritis (1) and is thought to act in a more
global fashion.
Using the framework we propose here, we can investigate
the long range, systemic effects of mechanotransduction by
building on what has already been reported about the wound
healing process, including the presence of peripheral markers
of EMT (16).
To explore the long range effects of acupuncture, multiomic
analysis of molecular eventsoccurring proximally (acupoint),
distally from the stimulation point (target organ), and
systemically (blood and gastrointestinal microbiome)can be
used to construct a spatial analysis (17). This information can
then be enriched with data about the temporal onset of early
gene expression, in addition to later time points (Figure 1A) to
construct a systems biology view (network) of the biochemical
events.
To build such networks and identify new targets for diagnosis and therapy, computational analysis must bring together
the different 'omics approaches (Figure 1B), coupled with the
requisite temporal and spatial resolution of the data (19). This
type of network approach can identify the most important molecules from the thousands to tens-of-thousands of interactions
and hundreds-to-thousands of molecules analyzed, also taking
into account distal factors that might play a role in causing or
modulating the pathologies.
Furthermore, the identification of additional markers is
made possible with a complementary approach to the high
1
Lazzari, Bologna, Italy

Group of Clinical Genomic Networks, Key Laboratory of Computational Biology,
CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological
Sciences, Shanghai, China
3
Bio/interfaces Group, Integrated System Laboratory, EPFL-cole Polytechnique
Fdrale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
*
Corresponding Authors: [email protected] (C.N.) and
[email protected] (S.C.)
These authors contributed equally to this work

2

medicine research.
S21
FIGURE 1. Elements of the

i-needle. (A) A variety of 'omics
techniques can be used to
monitor molecular progress
across body sites and over time.
The pictured model shows the
spatiotemporal multi-'omic
sampling of the molecular flow
of events over the therapys
delivery, from early molecular
activation at the acupoint to the
peripheral bloodstream and
gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome
(biome) to ultimately reach
the target organ. (B) Multi-'omic
systems biology enables the
identification of a network of
events, allowing interpretation of acupuncture in terms of a biochemical signaling flow that alters the whole system (body/patient).
Network analysis and simulations allow identification of molecules that can be monitored as markers of the progress of the therapy
(18). (C) Diagram showing carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensor integration to continuously monitor the therapy-induced biochemical
progression. Sensors are mounted on an energy-autonomous device that is able to transmit information remotely and in real-time.
throughput and low sensitivity of these 'omics analyses. This

can be imagined in the form of a nanobiochip that is the size
and shape of an acupuncture needle (hence, an intelligent
needle or i-needle) (Figure 1C).
Toward this end, we recently created a proof-of-principle
miniaturized platform, integrating revolutionary carbon
nanotubes and nanographite petals, which can monitor five
endogenous human metabolites using highly sensitive and selective nanobiosensors (20). The electronics needed to acquire
and transfer the detected signal have already been sufficiently
miniaturized (21) and can be powered by ultrathin polymerbased batteries (22) currently available on the market and
able to meet the energy demands of the proposed i-needle
(~80130 Ah).
The challenge for the realization of the i-needle has already
moved from the miniaturization to the integration step (23).
Progress has already been made, based on recent reports of
the measurement and transmission of temperature, pH, and
endogenous metabolite data using single-platform enzymecarbon nanotube hybrid sensors (24, 25) .
Conclusions
Overall, it is our hope that this research can provide a more

unified approach to understanding the complex nature of
patient responses to acupunctureincluding effects as diverse
as the control of pain, degeneration, and inflammation
and to addressing fundamental issues in acupuncture
treatment, such as the frequency of delivery, developing
more precise therapeutic indications, and establishing
proper dosage guidelines. These steps will undoubtedly
encourage acceptance of acupuncture as a complementary
and/or alternative personalized treatment, with important
application in a wide variety of areas including pain control,
and degenerative and chronic inflammatory diseases, among
others.
S22
References
1. WHO, Acupuncture: review and analysis of reports on controlled

clinical trials. (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2002), http://apps.

who.int/iris/handle/10665/42414.
2. G. Burnstock, Med. Hypotheses 73, 470 (2009).
3. Y. Ding et al., BMC Neurosci. 10, 35 (2009).
4. Y. Liu et al., PLOS ONE 8, e51573 (2013).
5. N. Azorin et al., Exp. Dermatol. 20, 401 (2011).
6. W. Z. Tu et al., Neurochem. Int. 60, 379 (2012).
8. J. Jia et al., J. Ethnopharmacol. 140, 594 (2012).
9. H. M. Langevin, N. A. Bouffard, G. J. Badger, D. L. Churchill, A. K.

Howe, J. Cell. Physiol. 207, 767 (2006).
10. A. Mammoto, T. Mammoto, D. E. Ingber, J. Cell Sci. 125, 3061 (2012).
11. R. Kalluri, R. A. Weinberg, J. Clin. Invest. 119, 1420 (2009).
12. V. W. Wong, S. Akaishi, M. T. Longaker, G. C. Gurtner, J. Invest.
Dermatol. 131, 2186 (2011).
13. E. Takai, M. Tsukimoto, H. Harada, S. Kojima, Radiat. Res. 175,

358 (2011).
14. J. V. Cordeiro, A. Jacinto, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell. Biol. 14, 249 (2014).
15. G. C. Gurtner, S. Werner, Y. Barrandon, M. T. Longaker, Nature

453, 314 (2008).
16. M. Mildner et al., PLOS ONE 8, e60103 (2013).
17. S. E. Winter, C. A. Lopez, A. J. Baumler, EMBO Rep. 14, 319 (2013).
18. P. Tieri, X. Zhou, L. Zhu, C. Nardini, Front. Cell Dev. Biol., 2, Epub

before print (2014), doi: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00059.
19. B. Kholodenko, M. B. Yaffe, W. Kolch, Sci. Signal. 5, re1 (2012).
20. I. Taurino et al., Nano Letters 14, 6 (2014).
21. J. Yoo, L. Yan, S. Lee, Y. Kim, H.-J. Yoo, IEEE Journal of Solid-State
Circuits 45, 178-188 (2010).
22. H. Nishide, K. Oyaizu, Science 319, 737 (2008).
23. T. E. Kazior, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A:

Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 372, 20130105

(2014).
24. A. Cavallini, C. Baj-Rossi, S. Ghoreishizadeh, G. De Micheli, S.
Carrara, Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference (BioCAS),

2012 IEEE, pp. 124 (2012).
25. S. Carrara, A. Cavallini, S. Ghoreishizadeh, J. Olivo, G. De

Micheli, in IEEE Sensors conference, (2012), pp. 2831.
Purinergic signaling in acupuncture

Author:
Geoffrey Burnstock
he proposed role of purinergic signaling in the physiological

basis of acupuncture was first presented in 2009.
Data showing that ATP is released from keratinocytes and other skin cells during acupuncture
treatments lends weigh to this hypothesis. ATP
in turn activates P2X3 receptors on the sensory
nerves in the skin, which then transmit those
messages to motor neurons in the brain stem
that control autonomic functions and modulate
nociceptive activities. Here, we review and describe the recent evidence for purinergic signaling
underlying acupuncture effects and propose ways
to further test this hypothesis.
Introduction
It has been well established that adenosine

5-triphosphate (ATP) is an intracellular energy
source in cellular biochemistry. In 1970, Burnstock
et al. suggested that ATP acted as a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurotransmitter in the gut (1),
and in 1972 he named the extracellular actions of
ATP, purinergic signaling (since ATP is a purine
nucleotide), and formulated the purinergic signaling hypothesis (2).
In 2009, Burnstock proposed that purinergic
signaling could be involved in the physiological
mechanisms mediating acupuncture effects.
This hypothesis suggested that mechanical
deformation of the skin by needles or application
of heat or electrical current leads to the release
of large amounts of ATP from keratinocytes,
fibroblasts, and other cell types in skin (Figure 1).
The released ATP then activates P2X3 ion channel
receptors on sensory nerves within the skin
and tongue that transmit messages via sensory
ganglia and the spinal cord to the brain stem
and hypothalamus. These brain regions contain
motor neurons that control autonomic functions,
including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal,
respiratory, and urinogenital activitiescommon
targets of acupuncture treatments. These sensory
neuron messages also modulate the pathways
that lead to centers in the cortex responsible
for conscious awareness of pain and other
central nervous system activities, including sleep
regulation (3). A number of subsequent studies have been
published that also implicate purinergic signaling in various
aspects of acupuncture, detailed below.
medicine research.
FIGURE 1. Acupuncture
and purinergic
signaling. Insertion
and twisting of the
needles employed
in acupuncture
mechanically deforms
the skin, leading to
the release of ATP by
skin keratinocytes (1).
ATP binds to specific
receptors located on
sensory nerve endings
in the skin, P2X3
and P2X2/3 (2). The
signaling message is
then relayed via dorsal
root ganglia to the
spinal cord (3) and
subsequently through
interneuronal pathways
(4) to the brain stem
(5) that contains motor
neurons, which control
the functions of gut,
lung, heart, arteries,
and reproductive
organsall major
targets for acupuncture.
Signals also travel to
the pain centers of
the cortex, delivering
a message to inhibit
pain (6). (Reproduced
with permission from
reference 36.)
Supporting evidence for the hypothesis
Studies that have established the components involved

in the purinergic signaling pathway include: (i) release of
ATP (in response to mechanical or chemical stimulation)
Autonomic Neuroscience Centre, University College Medical School, London, UK,
and Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia
[email protected]
S23
also release ATP in response to bradykinin and histamine (19,

20). Tsutsumi et al. demonstrated that mechanical stimulation
can evoke the propagation of calcium waves between
human keratinocytes, induced by ATP and activation of
P2Y2 receptors (21, 22), which is consistent with the earlier
results from Koizumi et al. (5). Tuina (traditional therapeutic
massage) and moxibustion (a traditional Chinese medicine
therapy using a moxa, often made from dried mugwort,
either used as a fluff or processed into a cigar-shaped stick; it
can be used indirectly, with acupuncture needles, or burned
on to the patients skin) may also act via the purinergic
signaling pathway (23). Papers describing the release of
ATP from human epidermal keratinocytes via connexin
hemichannels and vesicles involving vesicular nucleotide
transporter have recently been published (2426). A 2010
study has claimed that adenosine, following breakdown of
released ATP during acupuncture, can act as a prejunctional
inhibitor of neurotransmission via A1 receptors, resulting in
anti-nociceptive actions (27). Valuable reviews are available
describing the neural pathways from different skin regions to
structures in the brain stem and higher brain centers. These
pathways are important because different acupuncture sites
may activate different neural pathways impinging on specific
nuclei in the brain stem that control autonomic functions
potentially modulated by acupuncture (Figure 2) (28, 29).
FIGURE 2. Schematic illustration of the central neural

pathways that carry afferent
(sensory) neural impulses
following acupuncture
treatment from various parts
of the body. Brain areas
that commonly respond in
neuroimaging studies to
acupuncture stimulation are
indicated with gray shadow.
DCEAS: dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation.
(Reproduced from 28, with
permission from Hindawi
Publishing Corporation.)
Purinergic signaling and electroacupuncture
Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture where a

small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture
needles. This is thought to augment traditional acupuncture
and is believed to be particularly helpful in treating pain.
The supraspinal antinociception effect of
electroacupuncture has been associated with P2X3 receptor
activation in the midbrain periaqueductal gray region (30).
Moreover, the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture on
chronic neuropathic pain has been shown to be mediated
by P2X3 receptors in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons (31).
Following these studies, electroacupuncture was shown to
result in a reduced expression of P2X3 and P2X2 receptors in
the dorsal root ganglion of rats with chronic neuropathic pain
(32) and visceral hypersensitivity (33). Electroacupuncture
at He-Mu points can also reduce P2X4 receptor expression
in colon and spinal cord in visceral hypersensitivity (34).
Moreover, in a review by Lin et al., the neuroprotective
effects of acupuncture were reported to act via increasing
brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression via
stimulation of ATP (35).
Conclusions
from keratinocytes (46) and possibly from Merkel cells,

which contain high levels of ATP (7, 8); ATP has also been
shown to be released from keratinocytes upon heating (9);
(ii) immunohistochemical data demonstrating the presence
of P2X3 receptors on sensory nerve fibers in the skin (1012)
and tongue (13); (iii) in an isolated tongue/lingual nerve
preparation, mechanical activation of the tongue with De
Frey hairs was shown to result in a discharge in the lingual
sensory nerve fibers that was mimicked by ATP activation
and blocked by P2X3 receptor antagonists (14); and (iv) both
presynaptic inhibition via adenosine A1 and P2Y receptors,
and enhancement via P2X and A 2A receptors at synapses in
S24
the central nervous system have been reported (15).

Subsequent papers have built upon and extended
evidence in support of purinergic signaling underlying
acupuncture effects. Several studies have associated the skin
cells affected by acupuncture techniques with purinergic
signaling. For example, ATP has been shown to be released
from human keratinocytes in response to mechanical
stimulation by hypo-osmotic shock (16), as well as from
keratinocytes in response to heat (17). Additionally, mast
cells, which accumulate around the acupuncture needles,
also release ATP in response to mechanical stimulation (18).
Another skin cell type, human subcutaneous fibroblasts, can
Evidence in support of the hypothesis of purinergic

signaling mediating the physiological mechanisms
underlying acupuncture effects has been accumulating over
recent years. To help further test this hypothesis, I propose
that experienced acupuncturists focus on acupuncture
sites that induce effects that can be quantified, such as an
increase or decrease in heart rate or blood pressure, and

identify specific neurons that are activated in the brain using
noninvasive scanning techniques. If acupuncture-induced
effects can be identified and quantified, researchers could
then test whether ATP mimicks the responses and if P2X3
receptor antagonists block the effects. Moreover, we
suggest that researchers conduct experiments recording
responses from sensory neurons in the skin and tongue
in animal models and distinguish between low-threshold
fibers involved in acupuncture and high-threshold fibers
that mediate nociception, as well as recordings from the
motor nerves in the brainstem responsible for autonomic
functions.
References
1. G. Burnstock, G. Campbell, D. Satchell, A. Smythe, Br. J. Pharma

col. 40, 668 (1970).
2. G. Burnstock, Pharmacol. Rev. 24, 509 (1972).
3. G. Burnstock, Med. Hypotheses 73, 470 (2009).
4. N. Mizumoto, M. E. Mummert, D. Shalhevet, A. Takashima, J.

Invest. Dermatol. 121, 1066 (2003).
5. S. Koizumi et al., Biochem. J. 380, 329 (2004).
6. H. E. Burrell et al., J. Biol. Chem. 280, 29667 (2005).
7. R. Crowe, M. Whitear, Cell Tissue Res. 190, 273 (1978).
8. M. Silberstein, Med. Hypotheses 75, 272 (2010).
9. S. Mandadi et al., Pflugers Arch. 458, 1093 (2009).
10. E. J. Bradbury, G. Burnstock, S. B. McMahon, Mol. Cell. Neurosci.

12, 256 (1998).
11. G. Burnstock, Br. J. Anaesth. 84, 476 (2000).
12. M. Taylor, J. C. Peleshok, A. Ribeiro-da-Silva, J. Comp. Neurol.

514, 555 (2009).
13. X. Bo et al., Neuroreport 10, 1107 (1999).
14. W. Rong, G. Burnstock, K. M. Spyer, J. Physiol. 524, 891 (2000).
15. G. Burnstock, Physiol. Rev. 87, 659 (2007).
16. N. Azorin et al., Exp. Dermatol. 20, 401 (2011).
17. J. R. Gifford, C. Heal, J. Bridges, S. Goldthorpe, G. W. Mack, J.
Physiol. 590, 6403 (2012).
18. L. Wang et al., Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2013,

350949 (2013).
19. R. Pinheiro et al., Cell Commun. Signal. 11, 70 (2013).
20. R. Pinheiro et al., J. Biol. Chem. 288, 27571 (2013).
21. M. Tsutsumi et al., Cell Tissue Res. 338, 99 (2009).
22. M. Tsutsumi et al., Skin Res. Technol. 16, 146 (2010).
23. L. Fan, L. M. Yin, J. Acupunct. Tuina Sci. 12, 125 (2014).
24. T. P. Barr et al., PLOS ONE 8, e56744 (2013).
25. T. Takahashi et al., J. Invest. Dermatol. 133, 2407 (2013).
26. K. Inoue et al., J. Invest. Dermatol. 134, 1465 (2014).
27. N. Goldman et al., Nat. Neurosci. 13, 883 (2010).
28. Z. J. Zhang, X. M. Wang, G. M. McAlonan, Evid. Based

Complement. Alternat. Med. 2012, 429412 (2012).
29. Q. Q. Li et al., Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2013,

267959 (2013).
30. Z. Xiao et al., Brain Res. 1330, 31 (2010).
31. W. Z. Tu et al., Neurochem. Int. 60, 379 (2012).
32. R. D. Cheng et al., Chin. J. Integr. Med. 19, 374 (2013).
33. Z. Wang et al., Neural Regen. Res. 8, 802 (2013).
34. X. Guo et al., Neural Regen. Res. 8, 2069 (2013).
35. D. Lin et al., Int. J. Mol. Sci. 15, 3234 (2014).
36. G. Burnstock, The Scientist 25, 24 (2011).
S25
The American Association for

the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
The content contained in this special, sponsored section was commissioned, edited, and published by the Science/AAAS Custom
Publishing Office. It was not peer-reviewed or assessed by the Editorial staff of the journal Science; however, all manuscripts have
been critically evaluated by an international editorial team consisting of experts in traditional medicine research selected by the
project editor. The intent of this section is to provide a means for authors from institutions around the world to showcase their
state-of-the-art traditional medicine research through review/perspective-type articles that highlight recent progress in this burgeoning area. The editorial team and authors take full responsibility for the accuracy of the scientific content and the facts stated.
Articles can be cited using the following format: [Author Name(s)], Science 346 (6216 Suppl), Sxx-Sxx (2014).

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The Art and Science of

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This is the start of something big.

Tai-Ping Fan, Ph.D. (Guest project editor)

National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, NIH, USA

Liang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Macau University of Science & Technology, Macau SAR, China

Aiping Lu, M.D., Ph.D.

Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China

Jan van der Greef, Ph.D.

University of Leiden and TNO, The Netherlands

Anlong Xu, Ph.D.

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China

Editor: Sean Sanders, Ph.D.

ILLUSTRATION (FRONT) CHARLOTTE LOKIN

S2 Supporting the integration and modernization

S3 A middle way for traditional medicine

S4 Message from the editorial team

Bill Moran, Global Director

Ruolei Wu, Associate Director, Asia

S5 The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023:

S7 A global scientific challenge: Learning the right lessons

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Produced by the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office

Nearly a quarter of all

raditional medicine (TM) holds great potential to improve peoples

n discussions surrounding traditional healing techniques, a common

Margaret Chan, M.D.

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Tai-Ping Fan, Ph.D.

Liang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Josephine Briggs, M.D.

Aiping Lu, M.D., Ph.D.

Jan van der Greef, Ph.D.

Anlong Xu, Ph.D.

We are particularly grateful to Zhu Chen, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee

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The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023:

here has been a continuing demand for,

Recent changes, emerging challenges, and needs

Much has changed since the last World Health Organization

The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy: 20142023

Responding to the needs and challenges identified by

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Produced by the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office

importance of product regulation. The

Around the world, T&CM continues to grow in popularity.

World Health Organization, WHO Governing Body

A global scientific challenge: Learning the right lessons

ealth is a fundamental human value.

Malaria and botanical-based therapies

About half of the pharmaceuticals developed over the last

alkaloids. This includes quinine, chloroquine, and the synthetic

Acupuncture and chronic pain

Acupuncture is an integral part of Asian medical traditions,

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