Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treating Epilepsy

Chia Hui Lin, Ching Liang Hsieh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chinese herbal medicine has a long history of use for treating epilepsy. Because of the side effects of Western antiepileptic therapy and the quest for more accessible treatment, complementary and alternative medicines have become popular. Traditional Chinese medical diet therapy appears to be safe and effective. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library through November 2020 for the use of traditional Chinese medicine in clinical settings, including plants, fungi, and animals. Combinations of keywords included “epilepsy,” “seizure,” “antiepileptic,” “anticonvulsive,” “Chinese herbal medicine,” “Chinese herb,” and each of the Latin names, English names, and scientific names of herbs. We also summarized the sources and functions of these herbs in Chinese medicine. Different herbs can be combined to increase antiepileptic effects through various mechanisms, including anti-inflammation, antioxidation, GABAergic effect enhancement, modulation of NMDA channels and sodium channel, and neuroprotection. Despite reports of their anticonvulsive effects, adequate experimental evidence and randomized controlled clinical trials are required to confirm their antiepileptic effects.

Original languageEnglish
Article number682821
JournalFrontiers in Neuroscience
Volume15
DOIs
StatePublished - 02 07 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Lin and Hsieh.

Keywords

  • Chinese herbal medicine
  • antiepileptic effect
  • complementary therapy
  • diet therapy
  • epileptic seizure

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treating Epilepsy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this