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. 2021 May 31;27(11):874–880. doi: 10.1007/s11655-021-2864-1

Advances in Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Chinese Medicine

Guang-tao Hu 1, Yong Wang 2,✉
PMCID: PMC8166381  PMID: 34060024

Abstract

“Timely, near, and expectation” is the main principle of battlefield rescue for military combat stress reaction (CSR). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common form of CSR and a long-term persistent mental disorder that is caused by unusual threatening or catastrophic psychological trauma. Chinese medicine (CM) has abundant resources, is simple, easy to master, with few side effects. This article summarizes the cellular and animal experimental mechanisms of CM treatment on PTSD, suggesting that traditional Chinese herbs and acupuncture can protect brain functional areas, and adjust hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Traditional Chinese herbs and acupuncture have shown good anti-stress efficacy and fewer side effects in clinical application, which may improve the CSR in the battlefield.

Keywords: combat stress reaction, post-traumatic stress disorder, Chinese medicine, acupuncture treatment

Author Contributions

All the authors participated in generating the idea. Hu GT wrote the initial version of the manuscript. Wang Y critically reviewed and submitted it.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interest.

Footnotes

Supported by Key Issues of the Logistics Support Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Military Commission (No. BLJ19J009) and Chongqing Science and Health Joint TCM Technology Key Project (No. ZY201801010)

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