Review Article

Overview and limitations of database in global traditional medicines: A narrative review

Xiao-lan Li1,2, Jian-qing Zhang1, Xuan-jing Shen1,2, Yu Zhang1,2, De-an Guo1,2
1 Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Research Center of TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Correspondence to: De-an Guo: daguo@simm.ac.cn,
DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01353-1
Received: 27 July 2023
Accepted: 2 July 2024
Advance online: 2 August 2024

Abstract

The study of traditional medicine has garnered significant interest, resulting in various research areas including chemical composition analysis, pharmacological research, clinical application, and quality control. The abundance of available data has made databases increasingly essential for researchers to manage the vast amount of information and explore new drugs. In this article we provide a comprehensive overview and summary of 182 databases that are relevant to traditional medicine research, including 73 databases for chemical component analysis, 70 for pharmacology research, and 39 for clinical application and quality control from published literature (2000–2023). The review categorizes the databases by functionality, offering detailed information on websites and capacities to facilitate easier access. Moreover, this article outlines the primary function of each database, supplemented by case studies to aid in database selection. A practical test was conducted on 68 frequently used databases using keywords and functionalities, resulting in the identification of highlighted databases. This review serves as a reference for traditional medicine researchers to choose appropriate databases and also provides insights and considerations for the function and content design of future databases.
Keywords: traditional medicine; databases; phytochemicals; pharmacological activity; quality control

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