Introduction: Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder globally. Natural medicines are attracting attention as neuroprotective strategies due to multi-component and multi-target properties, yet a systematic bibliometric overview is lacking. This study reviews research trends and hotspots in natural medicines for Parkinson's disease from 2006 to 2025. Methods: A systematic search in the Web of Science Core Collection (2006-2025) identified 1,245 relevant articles. Bibliometric tools analyzed collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, and research frontiers, followed by qualitative synthesis. Results: China and the United States are major contributors. Chinese institutions closely collaborate with partners such as Kyung Hee University in South Korea. Research hotspots have shifted from single-mechanism or single-target studies to multi-target mechanisms, intercellular interactions, and multi-system integration involving the gut-brain axis and neuroimmune modulation. Network pharmacology and microbiome research are emerging as new directions, driving convergence of neuropharmacology, microbiome science, systems biology, and computational biology. Discussion: This paradigm shift supports recognizing Parkinson's disease as a multisystem dynamic network disorder rather than a focal neurodegenerative entity, aligning with multi-target properties of natural medicines. Clinical translation of natural products urgently requires standardized component databases and gut-brain axis-related biomarkers to enable transition from mechanistic research to precision therapy. Conclusion: This study provides the first systematic bibliometric overview of natural medicines in Parkinson's disease over the past two decades, revealing a paradigm shift from reductionist single-target approaches to holistic multi-target and multi-system strategies. These findings offer a valuable reference for neuropharmacological research on Parkinson's disease and clinical translation of natural products.

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome involving inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolic disturbances. Metabolomics can systematically elucidate metabolic pathways and identify actionable biomarkers. This study systematically reviews the progress and evolutionary trends of metabolomics applications in frailty research from 2006 to 2025. Based on 1924 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, systematic analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, SCImago Graphica, and the R package “bibliometrix”, focusing on pathway-level research hotspots and collaboration networks. The United States and China are the leading contributors. Research hotspots have shifted from macro-level biomarkers such as inflammation and protein–energy wasting to specific metabolic pathways including amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, and tryptophan degradation. Key metabolites include sphingomyelin, butyrate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide. Emerging frontiers focus on the association between gut microbiota-derived metabolites and frailty phenotypes, as well as intervention strategies targeting these metabolites. This study provides the first systematic overview of global research progress in metabolomics and frailty, establishes a reproducible evaluation framework integrating physiology, nutrition, geriatrics, and computational biology, and identifies butyrate, trimethylamine-N-oxide, and tryptophan metabolites as potential metabolic targets for early identification and intervention.