Traditional Chinese Medicine

    Written by:
    Kamal Patel
    Last Updated: August 28, 2025

    Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a collection of herbs, fungi, or berries that have historical usage as medicine in mainland China and sometimes nearby areas.

    Although their effects are normally based on anecdotes, they are slowly being scientifically validated for their claims.

    Summary

    Traditional Chinese Medicine, at least as far as Examine.com is concerned, is a collection of nutraceuticals and plants that have traditionally been used for treating diseases or otherwise enhancing quality of life in China and surrounding regions.

    In the ages before HPLC-MS analysis and identifying active components, looking at enzymatic interactions with xenobiotics, and assigning these pharmaceutical sounding terms to everything there was still nutraceutical research. This page is devoted to validating the effects of Chinese Medicine using western (peer-reviewed) science and categorizing the herbal combinations that have been traditionally used.

    If primary sources are not given for claims, but the claims have been made via traditional practitioners of Chinese Medicine, it is sort of a grey area as far as Examine.com is concerned.

    Examine Database References

    1. Sleep Quality - Kwon CY, Lee B, Lee JYEffectiveness and safety of East Asian herbal medicine for menopausal insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Pharmacol.(2024 Aug 8)
    2. Menopausal Symptoms - Tang X, Wang C, Liu Y, Xu Y, Dong S, Dai M, Li C, Zhai Y, Lan S, Yen Y, Wang C, Yu CEffects of Xiangshao granules on clinical symptoms and serum hormone levels of menopausal syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne).(2025)
    3. Sore Throat Symptoms - Lin L, Xiao J, Wu L, Fan F, Feng W, Wei J, Wang G, Liu G, Zhang W, Lu Y, Li Y, Lu L, Li H, Sun S, Gou J, Dang Y, Sun X, Jiang B, Qin J, Zhen H, Fang Y, Ding J, Huang M, Zhao W, Cai Y, Huang K, Tong X, Chen Y, Zhang H, Lin LEfficacy and safety of Kegan Liyan oral liquid for patients with acute pharyngitis: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial.Phytomedicine.(2024 Nov)
    4. COPD Symptoms - Liang R, Liu D, Li H, Yan Y, Xie W, Zhai ZThe efficacy and safety of herbal formulas for adults with pulmonary hypertension combined with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis involving 1,865 participants.J Thorac Dis.(2024 Sep 30)
    5. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptoms - Li H, Yang Y, Shi M, Xu L, Huang Y, Hu Z, Qin GBixie Fenqing decoction in the treatment of chronic prostatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine (Baltimore).(2024 Sep 13)
    6. Interleukin 4 - Chai K, Wang W, Wang H, Zhang T, Zhou J, Li J, Yang S, Qiao C, Guo X, Zhang X, Wu JEfficacy and safety of biyuan tongqiao granules in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.J Ethnopharmacol.(2025 Mar 26)