'100pc herbal' traditional Chinese medicine contained serious health risk ingredients
independent.ie , 1 November 2013

A TCM practitioner believed she had stocked “100% herbal” viagra-like products which turned out to be laced with drugs that carry serious health risks. The prosecution was brought by the Irish Medicines Board. WDZ Partnership Ltd and one of its directors, Ms. Sonya Hui Wang, were pleaded guilty to breaking medicinal products regulations. Defendant lawyer said that the potency of the products was not known but Ms. Wang was remorseful that they could have had dangerous and tragic effects. Fines totalling €2,000 were levied against the company.

Chinese herbal medicine (Ma Zi Ren Wan) for functional constipation: study protocol for a prospective, double-blinded, double-dummy, randomized controlled trial
7thspace.com , 4 November 2013

Functional constipation is a common complaint. The effectiveness of Ma Zi Ren Wan has been proven, but further evidence is needed to make clinical recommendations. In a prospective, double-blinded, and randomized trial, patients will undergo eight weeks treatment and eight weeks follow-up. The outcome is the responder rate for complete spontaneous bowel movement during treatment. This study thus should suggest recommendations for clinical practice.

A form of Chinese meditation helps smokers reduce craving
upi.com , 5 November 2013

Yi-Yuan Tang of Texas Tech University analyzed data on 27 smokers, of whom 15 got five hours over two weeks in Integrative Body-Mind Training, which includes relaxation, mindfulness and mental imagery. Researcher found a significant reduction in smoking, around 60%, in daily cigarette use, those in the control group showed no decrease in smoking. The study was published in the Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Acupuncture effects on neuropathic pain: A study on signal pathways
phys.org , 5 November 2013

Peripheral or central nerve injury often leads to neuropathic pain, which also results in neurological dysfunction. Ziyong Ju and team from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese medicine investigated the expression of ephrin-Bs/EphBs in the spinal dorsal horn using rat models, and first verified that acupuncture for neuropathic pain and the recovery of neurological function are associated with the activation of ephrin-B/EphB signaling. This new information published in the Neural Regeneration Research(Vol. 8, No. 25, 2013).

Why can Buyang Huanwu Decoction be used to treat stroke?
phys.org , 6 November 2013

Baiyan Liu from Hunan University of TCM showed that Buyang Huanwu Decoction significantly increased the number of cells positive for 5-bromodeoxyuridine, microtubule-associated protein-2, and growth-associated protein 43. The number of positive cells peaked at 14 and 28 days after intragastric administration. These findings, published in the Neural Regeneration Research(Vol. 8, No. 25, 2013), suggest that it can promote the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells and enhance synaptic plasticity in ischemic rat brain tissue.

Research: Chinese medicine mediated hot bath can help chronic renal failure.
acupuncture.blog.co.uk , 11 November 2013

Chronic renal failure patients have few treatment options. The Chinese doctors reviewed medical literature and found the thermal sweating therapy with Chinese herbal medicine and hot bath helped reduce interdialytic weight gain and improve blood pressure in patients with chronic renal failure. The study concluded "TCM-mediated hot bath could be one of the adjuvant renal replacement methods," by T. Ye and colleagues from Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University.

China Traditional Chinese medicine Decoction Pieces Industry 2017 Forecasts
digitaljournal.com , 11 November 2013

TCM decoction pieces are raw materials of Chinese patent drugs, its processing industry develops at the highest speed. In 2012, the gross output value of the industry was RMB$ 99.939 billion, increasing by 27.49%. Since 2009, due to increasing prices, their foreign trades are greatly influenced, the export volume decreased by 11.8% in 2011. They were the only products whose export volume decreased among TCM export. Most are exported to Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. In 2012, the export value to these 3 countries and regions took up more than 50% of the total export value.

JGU joins with 3 Chinese universities in fields of research and teaching
news-medical.net , 12 November 2013

The Institute of Sports Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) will be collaborating with three Chinese universities in the fields of research and teaching. The agreements cover research projects in high-performance sports to health care courses for students. One joint project has been signed with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese medicine, which will enable students studying Sports Science in Mainz to receive additional training in TCM in the form of block courses to be held in Germany and Shanghai.

Synthetic chemical from bears could stall onset of diabetes
newswatch.nationalgeographic.com , 13 November 2013

Harvard scientists have discovered a chemical in bear bile that may slow the development of type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The Harvard scientist said bile is rich in a chemical called TUDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid), which appears to shield the beta cells in mice models from immune system attack. His team tried hundreds of thousands of molecules before settling on bear bile in 2004. Now he wants to move to human trials. In higher concentrations, the bile might even help people at risk for type 2 diabetes, he also said.

TCM physician fined $1,000 for scalding a patient
yourhealth.asiaone.com , 21 November 2013

A registered TCM practitioner has been fined $1,000 and censured by the TCM Practitioners Board after a client suffered burns as a result of a botched treatment. The board found him at fault for having failed to check the temperature of the hot medical packs before they were administered by the therapist, which resulted in the client suffering thermal burns. His conduct amounted to professional negligence, constituting a breach of the TCM Practitioners Act. In addition to his fine and censure, he was ordered to pay the costs incurred or incidental to the inquiry.

MTSU confirms the exploration and study of ginseng
wgnsradio.com , 15 November 2013

Middle Tennessee State University will begin the exploration and study of growing ginseng. Growing ginseng at the MTSU farm will be a collaboration and the partnership will also investigate how best to cultivate ginseng as a crop, so they can teach Tennessee farmers how best to grow the crop as well as reform testing methodologies. The botanical research center at MTSU and the Guangxi garden are partners in an exclusive collaborative agreement that seeks to accelerate the development of Western medicines from plant extracts.

Bitter pill for traditional Chinese medicine
China Daily , 25 November 2013

New quality and safety rules may stifle sales prospects of TCM in the European market. In London's Chinatown, a poster in Chinese urges customers to stock up on traditional and other patent Chinese medicines before an impending ban on patented TCM products from next year. According to the proposal of MHRA, the sale of all unlicensed manufactured herbal medicinal products will be halted in the UK from next year. The regulator is yet to finalize its proposals, and TCM practitioners hope that a favorable decision will help rejuvenate it in Europe.

Chinese medicines that tonify the kidney inhibit dopaminergic neuron apoptosis
eurekalert.org , 27 November 2013

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. Compound preparations of Chinese medicines that can tonify the kidney have been reported to improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. A study published in the Neural Regeneration Research(Vol. 8, No. 30, 2013) showed that Chinese medicines used for tonifying the kidney, such as Herba Epimedii and Herba Cistanches, can protect nerve cells by regulating the expression of apoptosis-related factors and neurotrophic factors.

Malian doctor all for TCM healing
Global Times , 27 November 2013

Diarra Boubacar, 49, lives a very different life than people in his native Mali. The Guangzhou University of TCM graduated works in rural parts of China, where he adopts a blend of ancient healing forms and Western medicine, and has earned him a winning reputation in China. Boubacar, who now resides in Kunming, has spent 19 years as a professional doctor in China. Much of the work he accomplished has come either from his own expense, or from funding he sought out from international and national nongovernmental organizations.

Compiled By:
Rose Tse, Integrated Chinese Medicine Holdings Ltd.