Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbs are the plant, mineral, and animal materials that constitute the materia medica of traditional Chinese medicine, prescribed within a theoretical framework of yin-yang balance, qi, and organ-system patterns. Rather than being used as single agents, these materials are typically combined into multi-herb …

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 29× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Chinese herbs are the plant, mineral, and animal materials that constitute the materia medica of traditional Chinese medicine, prescribed within a theoretical framework of yin-yang balance, qi, and organ-system patterns. Rather than being used as single agents, these materials are typically combined into multi-herb formulas in which constituents are classified by function and are intended to act synergistically. Pharmacological research in this area focuses on identifying the bioactive constituents of individual herbs, elucidating their mechanisms of action, and quantifying them in biological matrices. Analytical work commonly applies high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to measure herb-derived markers such as danshensu, a compound from Salvia miltiorrhiza (danshen), in plasma in order to support pharmacokinetic study. Network pharmacology has become an important strategy for predicting the multiple molecular targets through which a phytochemical, for example a phytosterol, might exert therapeutic effects in complex conditions, reflecting the inherently polypharmacological nature of herbal therapy. Key sub-areas include phytochemical isolation, bioavailability and metabolism, quality control and standardisation, and the evaluation of cardioprotective and other organ-specific activities in cell and animal models. The field matters for both the validation of long-used remedies and the discovery of novel lead compounds. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research on the chemistry, analysis, and pharmacology of these materials.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

2021

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 29 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Chinese Herbs, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Alternative Medicine and Mind Body Practices.

Journal editorial board
Akiko Tokinobu · Japan Ulrike Halsband · Germany Bruno Bordoni · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.