Resilience in Tradition - Impacts of Climate Change on Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs and Pathways to Sustainability: A Scoping Review
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Abstract
Introduction
Climate change poses significant challenges to society, increasing health risks and disrupting ecosystems. It affects agriculture and medicinal plants, including herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Climate shifts may alter herb growth and potency, threatening their availability, thus making them especially vulnerable. Today, the shortage of medicinal herbs restricts treatment options for TCM practitioners in Taiwan. To promote a more sustainable medical system, it is necessary to evaluate how climate change impacts public health through ecological and economic pathways.
Objective
This research aims to review the influence of climate change on TCM herbs, focusing on availability, quality, and response strategies. Also, it focuses on identifying research gaps and exploring ways for TCM to achieve sustainability in the face of climate-related challenges.
Methods
The study follows the scoping review framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. Studies were collected from Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase from 2014-2024 and were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Our protocol was drafted using PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta Analyses – Extension for Scoping Reviews).
Results
From 1409 studies, 43 studies were eligible for analysis. Elevated temperatures, drought and floods negatively affect the availability of herbs by reducing yield and suitable habitats. These environmental changes also lead to potential shifts in the composition of medicinal compounds and stunted growth. However, research on adaptation strategies remains limited and presents a critical gap.
Conclusion
This scoping review shows that climate change significantly impacts TCM herbs, affecting their availability and quality, creating long-term challenges for the TCM system. More research on adaptation measures and comprehensive studies are needed to fully understand these effects to ensure the resilience of TCM in the face of climate challenges.
Keywords
Climate change, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medicinal herbs, Sustainability, Adaptation strategies
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
© Journal of Asian Medical Students’ Association (JAMSA). Released under a Creative Commons license.
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