[Ten challenging issues in the clinical research of Chinese medicine]

While continuing its journey to the West, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encounters various barriers. The ten most challenging issues in TCM clinical research are: (1) the justification of the specificity of acupuncture points; (2) the evidence of the effectiveness of manual needle manipulation; (3) the role of placebo in TCM practice; (4) the advantage of TCM pattern differentiation in clinical management; (5) quality control of Chinese herbs and optional formulation for current practice; (6) the classification of herbal medicine based on safety and toxicity; (7) the efficacy of herbal medicine for specific diseases or symptoms proven by randomized double blinded controlled clinical trial; (8) interactions between Western drugs and herbal medicine; (9) the application of Western medical diagnosis, pathology, imaging data, and test results in TCM pattern differentiation; (10) the best clinical set-up and model for TCM practice in modern society. There is no doubt that the understanding and resolving of these issues will significantly accelarate the acceptance of TCM by the scientific community and the Western society.