SEARCHNARRATIVE_REVIEWpreclinical research, nutrition

narrative_review·preclinical research, nutrition, public health, biomedical research·PMC10060509

A minireview of the medicinal and edible insects from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Frontiers in Pharmacology · 8 authors, 4 centres

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TL;DR

This narrative review examines 12 insect species used in traditional Chinese medicine, summarizing their documented medicinal and nutritional applications alongside recent advances in insect omics. The review finds that while entomoceuticals show promise for conditions including wound healing, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer activity, most species remain underexplored for bioactive ingredients and toxicological safety.

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This narrative review synthesized ethnomedicinal knowledge and recent omics research on 12 insect species widely used in traditional Chinese herbal formulas but relatively understudied for biological properties. However, the authors note that toxicological effects of most entomoceuticals remain poorly explored, and more in vitro and in vivo toxicity assays are needed before clinical trial approval.

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narrative_review

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preclinical research

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10060509

A minireview of the medicinal and edible insects from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Frontiers in Pharmacology

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ABSTRACT

Entomoceuticals define a subset of pharmaceuticals derived from insects. The therapeutic effect of insect-derived drugs has been empirically validated by the direct use of various folk medicines originating from three sources in particular: the glandular secretions of insects (e.g., silk, honey, venom), the body parts of the insect or the whole used live or by various processing (e.g., cooked, toasted, ground), and active ingredients extracted from insects or insect-microbe symbiosis. Insects have been widely exploited in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relative to other ethnomedicines, especially in the prospect of insect species for medicinal uses. It is noticeable that most of these entomoceuticals are also exploited as health food for improving immune function. In addition, some edible insects are rich in animal protein and have high nutritional value, which are used in the food field, such as insect wine, health supplements and so on. In this review, we focused on 12 insect species that have been widely used in traditional Chinese herbal formulae but have remained less investigated for their biological properties in previous studies. We also combined the entomoceutical knowledge with recent advances in insect omics. This review specifies the underexplored medicinal insects from ethnomedicine and shows their specific medicinal and nutritional roles in traditional medicine.

CITATION EXPORT

Enming Zhang, Xin Ji, Fang Ouyang et al.. A minireview of the medicinal and edible insects from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Frontiers in Pharmacology. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1125600

AUTHORS

8 · 4 CENTRES

Enming Zhang, Xin Ji, Fang Ouyang, Yang Lei, Shun Deng, Haibo Rong, Xuangen Deng, Hai Shen

1 School of Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
2 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3 College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
4 Sichuan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, China