Metabolomics-Driven Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Neurological Disorders: From Precision Diagnosis to Therapeutic Innovation.

This comprehensive review examined how metabolomics—a technique that measures small molecules in the body—can help researchers understand how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture and herbal formulas, affects neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and epilepsy. Researchers analyzed studies published between 2005 and 2025 from major medical databases to identify patterns in how these conditions alter the body's chemistry and how TCM treatments may restore balance. The review found consistent changes across multiple neurological disorders in three main areas: amino acid metabolism, fat molecules in the brain, and energy production pathways. Studies showed that acupuncture and herbal medicines work together to influence neurotransmitter balance, brain energy use, inflammation, oxidative stress, and the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain. Advanced imaging techniques revealed that specific herbal ingredients like ginsenosides target particular brain regions including the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. However, the researchers noted important limitations: most studies had small numbers of participants, used different research methods, and could only show associations rather than prove cause-and-effect relationships. The authors conclude that metabolomics provides a scientific framework for understanding TCM's multi-target approach to neurological disorders, but larger, standardized clinical trials are needed before these findings can guide personalized treatment plans. For patients considering acupuncture for neurological conditions, this research supports TCM's potential benefits but emphasizes the importance of seeking treatment from licensed, qualified acupuncture practitioners who can provide evidence-informed care.

This systematic review synthesized metabolomics studies of TCM interventions for neurological disorders from PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI databases (January 2005–June 2025). Researchers included peer-reviewed animal and clinical studies evaluating acupuncture and herbal formulas with metabolomic outcomes, excluding reviews and non-neurological studies. No specific sample sizes or effect sizes were reported in this synthesis paper. Key metabolic alterations were identified across Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, ischemic stroke, epilepsy, and high-altitude cerebral oedema, predominantly in amino acid, lipid, and energy pathways—including nicotinamide and lysophosphatidylcholine (AD), branched-chain amino acids (PD), and phenylalanine with asymmetric dimethylarginine (MS). Spatial mass spectrometry imaging demonstrated region-specific metabolic reprogramming in cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus following ginsenoside and Astragalus-Carthamus interventions. Clinical takeaway: Metabolomics validates TCM's multi-target mechanisms affecting neurotransmitter balance, cerebral metabolism, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and blood-brain barrier integrity, though current evidence remains largely correlative and requires standardized, multicentre validation studies for clinical translation.