Resources

“Sharing is good practice, although it may not be human nature.”

Professor Ian Sutherland, Brunel University, Former UK Regional Coordinator, the Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine

Experts’ Fora

Chinese Medicine Forum: Searching the mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine & acupuncture by Dr Tiejun Tang, Honorary Advisor of the King’s CICM Initiative. If you cannot directly get access from WeChat, please copy and paste this link into your preferred web browser and enjoy there: https://chinesemedicinesalon.blogspot.com/2020/02/my-ten-year-blogger-journey.html

Strengths of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the United Kingdom by Prof Dan Jiang, Honorary Advisor of the King’s CICM Initiative. In this online introductory talk before a training course in Hainan, China, in late April 2025, Prof Jiang introduced the current status of TCM practice in the UK, pinpointing the strengths of TCM diagnosis and drug and non-drug interventions in addressing unmet needs of the NHS, e.g., disease prevention; cancer, viral infection and other immunodeficient status; functional and mental disorders; gynaecological disorders and infertility. The talk can be accessed here (You will need to register first or log in through your WeChat account to enjoy and learn): http://m.qihuanghealthcare.cn/live/detail/1640

Zhongzhen’s Forum on Bencao Gang Mu and Chinese materia medica by Prof. Zhongzhen Zhao, Honorary Advisor of the King’s CICM Initiative— please scan and enjoy via WeChat:

Strategic Visions & Priorities We Observe

• Draft WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/tci/draft-traditional-medicine-strategy-2025-2034.pdf?sfvrsn=dd350962_1
• WHO Health Priorities: In Feb. 2025, the WHO Executive Board resolution recognised kidney disease, mental health, cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and respiratory disease as global health priorities: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(20)-en.pdf
• Convention on Biological Diversity: Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development: https://www.cbd.int/convention
• King’s Strategy and Vision 2029: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/strategy
• The Priorities of the NHS: https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/publication/the-nhs-in-england-at-75-priorities-for-the-future/
  

International Standards and Guidelines​

General guidelines​ for biomedical research:

• World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles For Medical Research Involving Human Participants: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/
• World Medical Association Declaration of Taipei on Ethical Considerations Regarding Health Databases and Biobanks: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-taipei-on-ethical-considerations-regarding-health-databases-and-biobanks/
• COPE guidelines (Publication ethics): https://publicationethics.org/guidance-and-tools
• Guidelines for Risk Assessment in the Utilisation of Medicinal Fauna and Flora: https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/tcm-risk-guidelines/
• CONSORT (RCT): https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/consort/

Note: Extensions directly related to traditional medicines (Acupuncture, Cupping, Tuina/Massage, herbal intervention, Chinese Herbal Medicine Formula, Integrated Chinese and Western, Non-Drug interventions, N-of-1, N-of-1 TCM, Reporting Single Group Trial for TCM, as we as Extensions for new types of RCTs suitable for innovative TCM studies, such as Basket, Umbrella and Platform trials, de-centralised trials, adaptive designs and pragmatic trials, cluster and stepped wedge cluster trials) can be found here: https://www.equator-network.org/?post_type=eq_guidelines&eq_guidelines_study_design=0&eq_guidelines_clinical_specialty=0&eq_guidelines_report_section=0&s=+CONSORT+extension&btn_submit=Search+Reporting+Guidelines

• PRISMA (systematic review): https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/prisma/

Note: the PRISMA extensions directly related to TCM (e.g. for acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine; and special types of systematic reviews (e.g. PRISMA-ScR for Scoping review) can be found here: https://www.equator-network.org/?post_type=eq_guidelines&eq_guidelines_study_design=0&eq_guidelines_clinical_specialty=0&eq_guidelines_report_section=0&s=PRISMA+extension&btn_submit=Search+Reporting+Guidelines

• GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations), the most widely adopted tool for grading the quality of evidence and for making recommendations, endorsed by over 100 organisations worldwide: https://www.gradeworkinggroup.org/
• GATHER (Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting): https://data.who.int/about/data/gather
• SAGER (Sex and Gender): https://ease.org.uk/communities/gender-policy-committee/the-sager-guidelines/
• PREPARE (animal study): https://norecopa.no/prepare
• ARRIVE 2.0 (animal study): https://arriveguidelines.org/arrive-guidelines

Note: ARRIVE extension for Acupuncture

• GCCP 2.0 (cell study): https://www.altex.org/index.php/altex/article/view/2376
• MIQE (PCR): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIQE

Special international standards, guidelines and extensions for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine

Nomenclature, terminologies and translation

• WHO international standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine. 2022; pp1-453 （3415 terms）: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240042322
• WHO international standard terminologies on traditional medicine in the Western Pacific Region. 2007: pp1-356（3543 terms）: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/206952
• WHO. Chapter 26. Supplementary Chapter Traditional Medicine Conditions – Module I. ICD-11. International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision; The global standard for diagnostic health information. 1999; in effect, Jan. 2022: https://icd-11.online/29561
• WHO standards in acupuncture nomenclature: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9290611057
• World Flora Online plant names: https://wfoplantlist.org/plant-list
• WFCMS. International Standard Chinese-English Basic Nomenclature of Chinese Medicine, Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House. 2008; pp 1-789 （6526 terms)

WHO quality control guidelines

• WHO General Guidelines for Methodologies on Research and Evaluation of Traditional Medicine: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506090
• TRS 1010 – Annex 1: WHO Good Manufacturing Practices for the manufacture of herbal medicines: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/trs1010-annex1
• WHO Guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practices for Herbal Medicines: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547161
• WHO Guidelines for Selecting Marker Substances of Herbal Origin for Quality Control of Herbal Medicines: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/trs1003-annex1
• WHO benchmarks for the training of acupuncture: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017962
• WHO benchmarks for the practice of acupuncture: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978-92-4-001688-0
• WHO benchmarks for the training of Ayurveda: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/351480
• WHO benchmarks for the practice of Ayurveda:: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240042674
• WHO benchmarks for the training of Tuina: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241599689
• WHO benchmarks for the practice of Tuina: https://qualityhealthservices.who.int/quality-toolkit/qt-catalog-item/who-benchmarks-for-the-practice-of-tuina
• WHO benchmarks for the training of Unani medicine: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240042735
• WHO benchmarks for the practice of Unani medicine: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240042698

Other quality control guidelines and international standards

• ISO/TC 249, International standards on the quality, safety and manufacture processes of TCM materials and products published by the International Standardization Organization: https://www.iso.org/committee/598435.html
• WFCMS international standards on TCM subdisciplines, education, assessment, pharmacy, clinics, consultation, consultation, diagnosis and treatment, TCM drug prescription, formulation, packaging and decoction, functional food, device and non-drug therapies: http://www.wfcms.org/index.php/list/52.html
• ConPhyMP guidelines and online interactive tool for what is needed in the reporting pharmacology, toxicology and clinical effects of herbals: https://ga-online.org/best-practice
• GP-TCM guideline on reviewing and publishing studies on herbal medicine, with special emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese materia medica: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874112000517

Key References (classic references are listed at the end)

Xu Q. WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Chinese Medicine: Use in Context, Creatively. Integr Med Nephrol Androl. 2023;10:e00029. https://journals.lww.com/imna/Fulltext/2023/06000/WHO_International_Standard_Terminologies_on.29.aspx

Ma P, et al. The SHARE: SHam Acupuncture REporting guidelines and a checklist in clinical trials. J Evid Based Med. 2023;16:428-431. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jebm.12560

Zhang X, et al.  STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials Of Tuina/Massage (STRICTOTM): Extending the CONSORT statement. J Evid Based Med. 2023;16:68-81. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jebm.12522

Duan Y, et al. A cross-sectional study of the endorsement proportion of reporting guidelines in 1039 Chinese medical journals. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2023;23:20. https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12874-022-01789-1

Shepherd A, et al. Botanicals in the health and disease of the testis and male fertility: a scoping review. Phytomedicine. 2022;106:154398. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711322004871?via%3Dihub

Heinrich M, et al. Best Practice in the chemical characterisation of extracts used in pharmacological and toxicological research: The ConPhyMP Guidelines. Front Pharmacol 2022;13:953205: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.953205/full

Heinrich M, et al. Best practice in research – Overcoming common challenges in phytopharmacological research. J Ethnopharmacol 2020; 246:112230: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874119330338

Zhang X, et al. Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement. Chin Med. 2020;15:10. https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-020-0293-2

Smith AJ. Guidelines for planning and conducting high-quality research and testing on animals. Lab Anim Res. 2020;36:21. https://labanimres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42826-020-00054-0

Smith AJ et al. PREPARE: guidelines for planning animal research and testing. Lab Anim. 2017;52:135-141. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5862319/

Cheng CW, et al. CONSORT Extension for Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas 2017: Recommendations, Explanation, and Elaboration. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:112-121. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M16-2977?

Pelkonen O, et al. Why is research on herbal medicinal products important and how can we improve its quality? J Tradit Complement Med. 2014;4:1-7. ​https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225411016302048​

Xu Q et al. ​The quest for modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:132: ​https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-13-132​

Buriani A, et al. Omic techniques in systems biology approaches to traditional Chinese medicine research: present and future. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;140:535-44:​ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874112000682?via%3Dihub

Uzuner H,  et al. Traditional Chinese medicine research in the post-genomic era: good practice, priorities, challenges and opportunities. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;140:458-68:​ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874112001110?via%3Dihub​

Chan K, et al. Good practice in reviewing and publishing studies on herbal medicine, with special emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese materia medica. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;140:469-75: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874112000517?via%3Dihub​

Flower A, et al. Guidelines for randomised controlled trials investigating Chinese herbal medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;140:550-4: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874111008956?via%3Dihub

MacPherson H, et al. Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): extending the CONSORT statement. Acupunct Med. 2010;28:83-93.

Gagnier JJ, et al. Reporting RCTs of herbal interventions: an elaborated CONSORT statement. Ann Intern Med. 2006;144:364-7: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-144-5-200603070-00013?

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