Challenges and opportunities of integrating traditional Chinese medicine into mainstream medicine : a review of the current situation

Introduction: Although Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for centuries, its acceptance within an integrative framework is hindered by conventional scientific research methodology. How can we optimize research to support the integration of TCM into mainstream medicine? The aim of this paper was to propose priority areas for future TCM research by characterizing the literature contributing to published articles resulting from the three year project "Good Practice in TCM Research (FP7 GP-TCM) in the Post-genomic Era". Methods: All references were extracted from the 20 papers published as a direct result of the GP-TCM project. The main themes of the papers were categorized and the distribution of articles referring to each research topic calculated. Results: The nine main themes that were identified included: Chinese materia medica (CMM) quality, CMM toxicity/safety, in silico, in vivo, in vitro, clinical trials (CMM), clinical trials (acupuncture), regulation and future direction. In addition, three extra research topics (authorization, research methodology and others) were identified. Of these, the most frequently reported themes were CMM toxicity/safety, quality and in vivo research. Conclusion: Within this framework, the quality control of CMM products, network pharmacology, biomedical studies using systems biology and the adaptation of Western clinical research methods were supported by advances in research and technology. Combined with international collaboration, these provide vital directions for research and development in TCM to validate integrative approaches for mainstream medicine and health care models for the future. This article belongs to the Special Issue: Traditional and Integrative Approaches for Global Health.