Evolving Legacy: Decoding the Scientific Trajectory of Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine has a rich history that plays an important role in contemporary healthcare. This report presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on Chinese Medicine from 2014 to 2023, highlighting its development, shifting research focuses, impact on other fields, and key contributors. It outlines the Chinese Medicine research landscape, showcasing how this ancient medical practice evolves and thrives with modern science.

Chinese Medicine, a field with a long history and integral to Chinese cultural heritage, focuses on treating the whole person and restoring homeostasis to the body. It offers holistic, individualised, and preventive approaches to health and wellness, complementing conventional medical practices and contributing to comprehensive patient care. Given the increasing interest in its potential health benefits, research in Chinese Medicine is growing, introducing new therapies and treatments that contribute to population health and well-being.

Chinese Medicinals and Chinese Medicine formulations have been studied for their potential immune-boosting properties, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been used in preventive measures, alternative treatments, and supportive patient care. Research in Chinese Medicine has played a significant role in the fight against the virus and in supporting public health measures.

With the global consensus to address global health challenges and the growing recognition of the valuable role played by Chinese Medicine research in modern healthcare, it is important to better understand the development trends of this research. This can be achieved by identifying trending research topics in the field, identifying key contributing players, and assessing the research impacts. By analysing these trends and patterns, we gain insights into how to better develop this research field and address the challenges of modernising Chinese Medicine.

For this purpose, Hong Kong Baptist University and Elsevier have collaborated to conduct this bibliometric analysis of Chinese Medicine research based on scientific publications in the field identified from the Scopus database. Below is a summary of the analytical findings.

Key findings:

From 2014 to 2023, Chinese Medicine research experienced noteworthy growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6%, surpassing the global average. The field has also shown increased scholarly impact over the recent five-year period, with increases in the share of the top 10% of most cited publications and overall citation impact. Although intra-regional collaboration is the dominant form of research collaboration in Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong SAR (China) stands out in international ®ional collaboration. Its high collaboration rate and citation impact substantially surpass the global average. The region has expanded its research partnerships over the past decade, establishing significant collaborations with the Chinese mainland, the United States, and other countries or regions, highlighting the growing interconnected nature of Chinese Medicine research networks.

The analysis of high-output research topics reveals a sustained focus on acupuncture-related therapies, reflecting the ongoing efforts to enhance the credibility and applicability of Chinese Medicine in contemporary healthcare. There is an increasing trend towards applying interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of modern medical technologies. The use of network pharmacology in Chinese Medicine research serves as an illustrative example.

Although Chinese Medicine research output primarily falls within Medicine, specifically Complementary and Alternative Medicine, it also encompasses significant contributions from other disciplines, such as Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Immunology and Microbiology. The field demonstrates greater cross-disciplinary characteristics than general Medicine research, both in terms of knowledge citation patterns and author collaboration across different subject areas.

The impact of Chinese Medicine research also spans various fields, represented by Medicine, the research output of which accounted for 46.8% of citing publications of Chinese Medicine research, followed by Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. This subject area distribution of citing publications highlights the interdisciplinary nature of Chinese Medicine research and its substantial contributions to multiple scientific domains. Chinese Medicine research also shows strong societal impact, with 11.1% of research output in the field being mentioned by social media, indicating widespread recognition of this research field with strong translation to local context. The public engagement in Chinese Medicine also suggests practical research applications in the field, benefiting society.

Looking at key contributing countries/regions to Chinese Medicine research output, the Chinese mainland dominates, followed by the United States. Most countries or regions have shown increased publication volume and scholarly impact over the recent five years, with Hong Kong SAR (China) showing particularly notable progress. Leading institutions in Chinese Medicine research are also primarily from the Chinese mainland and demonstrate prominent growth in research output. Institutions from Macao SAR (China), Hong Kong SAR (China), and Taiwan (China) have also made notable contributions, showcasing their strong research performance and impact. The growth of Chinese Medicine research is associated with a surge in contributing authors to the field, which grew at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2014 to 2023. Among major contributing countries or regions, Macao SAR (China), despite its relatively small author base, leads in per-author output.

Modernising Chinese Medicine includes standardised reporting frameworks, evidence-based clinical protocols, and innovative approaches. These advances have improved research rigour, provided empirical validation of traditional therapeutic approaches, and accelerated the integration of Chinese Medicine practices into modern healthcare frameworks.