HKBU, Elsevier find global growth in Chinese medicine research

Chinese medicine research rose at a CAGR of 10.6%.

The Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and Elsevier found that Chinese medicine research is experiencing rapid growth, and is making an interdisciplinary and societal impact on Digital Health and Systems Medicine.

"We envision a future where data science and AI illuminate what Chinese Medicine research has long intimated, providing deeper insights into health classifications and compound interventions,” said Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research & Development) at HKBU.

“The next frontier is using Chinese Medicine research to uncover insights possibly overlooked in Digital Health and Systems Medicine, strengthening their scientific foundation and impact," Lyu added.

In their "Evolving Legacy: Decoding the Scientific Trajectory of Chinese Medicine" report, HKBU and Elsevier found that Chinese Medicine research is growing at a 10.6% compound annual growth rate—more than double the global research average—nearly tripling output between 2014 and 2023.

About 14.2% of Chinese Medicine papers ranked amongst the world's top 10% most cited, with a field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) of 1.12. Medicine dominates (61.9% of output), followed by Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology (33.1%), and Pharmacology (28.1%).

Citing publications spans diverse major domains from Engineering to Materials Science. Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR exceed 80% cross-regional collaboration, above the 18% world average, and achieve FWCI >1.6 in cross-regional collaborative publications.

Top-published trending topics include "Herbaceous Agent | Chinese Medicine | Network Pharmacology" and COVID-19 applications, reflecting integration of omics, AI and systems methods.

About 11.1% of research outputs were mentioned on social media and 2.9% cited in policy documents, reflecting growing public and policymaker interest.