Objective  To understand the current status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) systematic reviews/Meta-analysis over the past 10 years.

Methods  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang Data, VIP databases, as well as the Cochrane Register and PROSPERO registration platform were searched to collect TCM-related systematic reviews/Meta-analysis published between January 2015 and December 2024. Literature was screened, and standardization of institutions, countries, and journals was performed. Data cleaning was conducted, and trends in publication years, high-frequency diseases, journals, institutions, and highly cited papers were analyzed.

Results  A total of 11,174 papers were included, involving approximately 56,656 authors from 1,422 institutions across 44 countries, covering 1,300 journals and 1,070 diseases. The top five institutions in terms of publications were Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (954 papers), Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (928 papers), China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (537 papers), Tianjin University of Chinese Medicine (460 papers), and Chengdu University of Chinese Medicine (393 papers). Foreign institutions with the highest publication volumes were concentrated in South Korea, Iran, and Australia. The most frequently published Chinese journal was Zhongyi Clinical Research with 332 papers, while the most published English journal was Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine with 311 papers. There were 282 single-author papers involving 271 authors, and the most cited paper was referenced 323 times, The three most frequently studied diseases were diabetes (267 papers, 2.39%), angina pectoris (214 papers, 1.92%), and osteoarthritis (210 papers, 1.88%). Non-pharmacological interventions such as acupuncture (1,265 papers, 11.32%), auricular therapy (101 papers, 0.90%), and Tai Chi (98 papers, 0.88%) were most frequently reported. In pharmacological interventions, studies on Tripterygium wilfordii tablets (76 papers, 0.68%) and Danhong injection (54 papers, 0.48%) were more common.

Conclusion  The systematic reviews/Meta-analysis method is widely used in the field of TCM, and the field continues to grow. Active academic teams, institutions, and journals have emerged. Over the past decade, there has been a considerable body of evidence in Chinese systematic reviews on TCM for chronic diseases such as diabetes, angina pectoris, and osteoarthritis. In English-language studies, non-pharmacological therapies like acupuncture have been more widely reported, and some high-impact studies have emerged. However, challenges remain, such as issues with research transparency and methodological standardization. Future efforts should focus on establishing transparent systems and quality control mechanisms to further enhance the reliability, accuracy, and dissemination of TCM evidence-based research.

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