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Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treating Epilepsy
Chia-Hui Lin1, Ching-Liang Hsieh1,2,3
1Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|July 19, 2021
Summary
Chinese herbal medicine offers a safe and effective approach for epilepsy treatment. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the anticonvulsive effects of traditional Chinese medicine therapies.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Epilepsy treatment faces challenges due to side effects of conventional antiepileptic drugs.
- Growing interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for epilepsy management.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a historical and accessible therapeutic option.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the clinical use of TCM for epilepsy.
- To identify herbs, fungi, and animals used in TCM for seizure management.
- To explore the mechanisms of action for TCM in epilepsy.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed and Cochrane Library up to November 2020.
- Keywords included epilepsy, seizure, antiepileptic, anticonvulsive, and various Chinese herb names.
- Summarized sources, functions, and proposed mechanisms of TCM ingredients.
Main Results:
- TCM encompasses a wide range of natural products for epilepsy treatment.
- Identified multiple mechanisms of action, including anti-inflammation, antioxidation, GABAergic enhancement, NMDA and sodium channel modulation, and neuroprotection.
- Reported anticonvulsive effects of various TCM therapies.
Conclusions:
- TCM demonstrates potential as a safe and effective complementary therapy for epilepsy.
- Various herbs can be combined to enhance antiepileptic effects.
- Further rigorous experimental validation and randomized controlled trials are essential to confirm efficacy and safety.
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