“Medicine and food homology” (MFH) on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a term originated from “Huang Di Nei Jing-Su Wen”, and its theory with a long history in China. Some TCMs as functional food, which have been used for “food therapy”, and “medicine”, either acting as food on an empty stomach or as medication for administering to the patient. These are also known as “functional foods” for curing diseases or modulating human body functions. TCM has not just one, but rather multiple principles or concepts for food, which are based on the nutrition of organs (“Yin and Yang” theory), warm and cold food (“Four properties”, and “Five flavors”), season matters, body types, etc. There are different classifications of TCMs, such as seed, flower, and wood containing several active ingredients with a wide range of nutritional and medicinal values. There were nine electronic databases searched including WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), about the “Medicine”, “Food”, “Homology”, without regard to language constraints. This article discusses the concept of MFH, its research cases, guidelines, regulations, and the pharmaceutical effect of MFH in daily life.

Chrysoeriol is an active ingredient derived from the Chinese medicinal herb (CMH) “Lonicerae japonicae flos” in the dried flower bud or bloomed flower of Lonicera japonica Thunberg. Dermatoses are the most common diseases in humans, including eczema, acne, psoriasis, moles, and fungal infections, which are temporary or permanent and may be painless or painful. Topical corticosteroids are widely used in Western medicine, but there are some side effects when it is continuously and regularly utilized in a large dosage. Chrysoeriol is a natural active ingredient, nontoxic, and without any adverse reactions in the treatment of dermatological conditions. Methods: Nine electronic databases were searched, including WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without regard to language constraints. The pharmacological activities of chrysoeriol from Lonicerae japonicae flos to fight against skin diseases were explained and evaluated through the literature review of either in vitro or in vivo studies. Results: Chrysoeriol decreased the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. These were transcriptionally regulated by NF-κB and STAT3 to combat skin inflammation. It also showed promising actions in treating many skin ailments including wound healing, depigmentation, photoprotection, and antiaging. Conclusion: The cutaneous route is the best delivery approach to chrysoeriol across the skin barrier. However, toxicity, dosage, and safety assessments of chrysoeriol in a formulation or nanochrysoeriol on the human epidermis for application in skin diseases must be further investigated.

Bacterial infections and cancers are important issues in public health around the world. Currently, Western medicine is the most suitable approach when dealing with these issues. “Antibiotics” and “Corticosteroids” are the Western medicines used for bacterial infection. “Chemotherapy drugs”, “surgery”, and “radiotherapy” are common techniques used to treat cancer. These are conventional treatments with many side effects. PDT is a non-invasive and effective therapy for bacterial infection and cancer diseases. Methods: Nine electronic databases, namely WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), were searched to conduct this literature review, without any regard to language constraints. Studies focusing on the photodynamic actions of hydrogel and Resveratrol were included that evaluated the effect of PDT against bacteria and cancer. All eligible studies were analyzed and summarized in this review. Results: Resveratrol has antibacterial and anticancer effects. It can also act as PS in PDT or adjuvant but has some limitations. This is much better when combined with a hydrogel to enhance the effectiveness of PDT in the fight against bacteria and cancer. Conclusions: Resveratrol combined with hydrogel is possible for PDT treatment in bacteria and cancer. They are compatible and reinforce each other to increase the effectiveness of PDT. However, much more work is required, such as cytotoxicity safety assessments of the human body and further enhancing the effectiveness of PDT in different environments for future investigations.

Chinese medicinal herbs (CMHs) have been used for thousands of years because of their significant properties regarding the prevention and treatment of diseases, such as COVID-19. There is an increasingly diminishing supply of wild medicinal resources, and the demand is greater than the supply. Ecological balance and the conservation of natural Chinese medicinal herbs are serious issues in sustainable development, which requires the minimum requirements to be met without compromising the resources of future generations, especially with respect to the maintenance of production and consumption as well as the quality control of CMHs. Hong Kong is an urban business city, busy with work and the fast pace of life. The sustainable development of CMHs is difficult in a huge population situated in an area with very scarce land coverage. The conservation of CMHs in urban horticulture is extremely neglected because people lack living space; for example, Aquilaria Sinensis (the incense tree), also called “pak muk heung” in Cantonese, was an indigenous species that was illegally logged in the past. This led to detrimental effects on the population density and genetic diversity of the species. There is no doubt that Hong Kong is required to set up a management model in community facilities for these emerging modern social configurations, such as building a Chinese herbal garden for the conservation and promotion of a healthy urban environment and giving people a chance to gain more information on CMHs. The current study employed problem analysis and strategic decisions for the sustainable development of 62 kinds of CMHs in a Chinese herbal garden, which converged with some medicinal itineraries of Lingnan herbal medications, and implemented a theoretical framework of management models for ten secondary schools, e.g., the Aroma garden of the L’Occitane at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) Tsing Yi campus and Land from the Far East Consortium International Limited in Sai Kung Pak Kong. In the present original article, we would like to establish a sustainable management model for Chinese herbal gardens in an urban city. The sustainable development model for the Chinese herbal gardens is based on five major aspects: (1) land resources, (2) manpower planning, (3) economy, (4) education or training, and (5) ecosystem (cultivation). These are the essential factors of management and are implemented in our Chinese herbal gardens. We aim to find a suitable management model for Chinese herbal gardens and to promote it in other urban cities.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic occurred in Hong Kong for more than two years. This article conducted a cross‐sectional study for participants to investigate the behavioral prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of using Western medicines or herbal products for COVID‐19 in Hong Kong. A questionnaire was designed and performed over 2 weeks from 1 May to 15 May 2022. It consisted of five parts with around 20 questions conducted including sociodemographic information, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation of COVID‐19, and also the sources of information. The pattern usage of Chinese or Western medicines for COVID‐19 was studied after data collection. 318 people participated in this survey, and only 311 were qualified. The sociodemographic information, e.g., personal educational level, and behavior for the prevention of COVID‐19, which included wearing masks (98.7%), using alcohol hand sanitizer (83.0%), washing hands frequently (82.4%), avoiding crowds (53.1%), and staying home more often (50.6%). Western medicines, such as antipyretic drugs, antitussive drugs, and pain reliever drugs, whilst Chinese medicines, such as Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang, Huoxiang Zhengqi San or Wan, and Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa, were most commonly used in the treatment and rehabilitation periods of COVID‐19. Herbal products, including lemon, honey, ginger, and herbal tea, were used as a daily diet to fight against COVID‐19. Based on the result findings, Chinese medicines or herbal products were used during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but most of the participants used an unknown Chinese medicine practitioner’s prescription and self‐administered Chinese medicine. The pattern of Chinese medicines and Western medicines’ usage in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of COVID‐19 was also investigated; this showed a statistically significant association between the variables according to gender, age, and Chinese or Western medicines for further investigation.