Qi-invigorating herbs (QIHs) are a group of herbs that invigorate Qi, the most vital force for maintaining the physiological functions of the human body in traditional medicine. However, the mechanism underlying the Qi-invigorating effects remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the unique mechanisms of QIHs based on unique compounds, using a network pharmacology approach. QIHs and their compounds were identified using existing literature and the TCMSP database, respectively. Subsequently, a method was proposed to screen for unique compounds that are common in QIHs but rare in other traditional herbs. Unique compounds’ targets were predicted using the TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, and SwissTargetPrediction databases. Finally, enriched GO and KEGG pathways were obtained using DAVID to uncover the biomolecular functions and mechanisms. Thirteen unique compounds, mainly including amino acids and vitamins that participate in energy metabolism and improve Qi deficiency syndrome, were identified among the eight QIHs. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that these compounds commonly participate in neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction and the metabolism of amino acids, and are related to the components of mitochondria and neuronal cells. Our results appropriately reflect the characteristics of traditional Qi-invigorating effects; therefore, this study facilitates the scientific interpretation of Qi functions and provides evidence regarding the treatment effectiveness of QIHs.

This study aims to review the current quantity and quality of case reports and case series published by clinical doctors who worked in local Korean medicine clinics. Seven electronic databases, one in English and six in Korean, were searched for case studies authored by clinically-based Korean Medicine doctors (KMDs) and published in academic journals between January 2000 and December 2018. The following data were extracted: the number of cases per article, authorship order, types of academic journals, the number of articles published in the domestic or international academic journals by publication year, citation counts, and classification of diseases. We assessed the quality of the reports based on 28 items from the CAse REport (CARE) checklist. A total of 266 case reports or case series met the inclusion criteria. There were 125 articles (47.0%) in which all authors consist of who worked in Korean medicine clinics. The overall increase in the number of published articles by year showed a sharp increase after 2010. Articles were focused primarily on Korean medicine therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. The most commonly reported cases were diseases of the skin (346 or 40.9%). Overall, the quality of the reports was acceptable (75.3%) but several items such as diagnostic challenges, patient perspective, informed consent, intervention adherence and tolerability, and adverse events were substantially underreported. To improve disease diagnosis and treatment, KMDs in clinical practice should be encouraged to report and publish case studies, using the CARE checklist to ensure quality.

We established a protocol for the traditional Korean medicine examination (KME) and methodically gathered data following this protocol. Potential indicators for KME were extracted through a literature review; the first KME protocol was developed based on three rounds of expert opinions. The first KME protocol’s feasibility was confirmed, and data were collected over four years from traditional Korean medicine (KM) hospitals, focusing on healthy adults, using the final KME protocol. A literature review identified 175 potential core indicators, condensed into 73 indicators after three rounds of expert consultation. The first KME protocol, which was categorized under questionnaires and medical examinations, was developed after the third round of expert opinions. A pilot study using the first KME protocol was conducted to ensure its validity, leading to modifications resulting in the development of the final KME protocol. Over four years, data were collected from six KM hospitals, focusing on healthy adults; we obtained a dataset comprising 11,036 healthy adults. This is the first protocol incorporating core indicators of KME in a quantitative form and systematically collecting data. Our protocol holds potential merit in evaluating predisposition to diseases or predicting diseases.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the Korean medical examination protocol, which included 14 questionnaires and 20 medical examination devices.Methods: We conducted a pilot observational study of 90 subjects to measure the time required to fulfill each item of the Korean medical examination, to evaluate patient satisfaction, and to report improvements that can be made to the Korean medical examination protocol based on clinical coordinator and subject feedback.Results: Among the 90 subjects included in the study (59 women and 31 men; mean [standard deviation] age, 37.2 [12.3] years), over 80% intended to receive a Korean medical examination if hospitals provided it and would recommend a Korean medical examination to others. The average time spent on the overall Korean medical examination was approximately 88.0 (21.4) minutes. Three areas for improvements were reported: survey issues, including the number of items, understanding, and readability; error issues in device measurements; and environmental issues affecting the sequence of medical examinations and temperature.Conclusions: Most subjects were satisfied with the Korean medical examination. Future studies should be conducted with larger samples to collect data continuously.

Soyoung Kim, Jeong Hwan Park, Jeongyun Lee, Jieun Park, Sanghun Lee. Korean J Acupunct 2025;42:163-72. https://doi.org/10.14406/acu.2025.010

Soyoung Kim, Purumea Jun, Sanghun Lee. Korean J Acupunct 2024;41:68-78. https://doi.org/10.14406/acu.2024.010