The Potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment and Modulation of Pain

Abstract

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with various diseases. Extensive research has been conducted to find appropriate methods of relieving pain and improving the quality of life. However, the most commonly used pain-relieving agents such as opioid therapeutics are often associated with harmful side effects; moreover, users are prone to become addicted to these agents and may develop tolerance. Often, nonopioid therapeutics is only marginally effective, thus leading to a significant unmet medical need. Scientists have studied herbal medicines, finding more than 800 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to be effective in relieving pain while also creating several monomeric compounds to develop novel analgesic drugs. In this review, we summarize the representative TCM currently available for the treatment and modulation of pain. Ten different natural products, mainly herbs, used in Chinese medicine to relieve pain are discussed in light of the theories of TCM and modern pharmacology. We hope that this review will provide valuable information for future studies on the potential of TCM in alleviating pain.

Keywords: Activate blood circulation; Analgesia; Dissipate blood stasis; Inflammation; Traditional Chinese medicine.