[Review of study on peripheral nerve regeneration promoted by traditional Chinese medicines]

Peripheral nerve impairment is a common complication in surgery, clinical researchers always do nerve sutrure using microsurgical technique and adjuvant treatment to improve peripheral nerve regeneration. Western medicine used usually adjuvant drugs, such as neurotrophic factors,are limited by their defects in clinical application. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) classifies peripheral nerve impair as flaccidity Zheng and arthromyodynia, and considers that it is the result of stagnant blood block in the meridians and vessels, deficient of Qi and blood and disuse of bones and muscles. So, drugs usually have the function of invigorating vital energy, activating blood circulation and dredging collaterals. Mono-drugs include astragalus, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Astragali Radix, Epimedii Folium and so on. Extracts of TCMs have Ginkgo Folium, Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, and so on. To be ready for further study and development, TCMs which can promote the peripheral nerve regeneration were reviewed by the literatures of the latest years.