Herbal Medicine as an Adjuvant Therapy in Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review of Types, Dosages, and Treatment Duration in Rat Models
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i5.2400Keywords:
adjuvant therapy, blood–brain barrier, herbal medicine, neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, rodent model, traumatic brain injuryAbstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with substantial neurological morbidity and mortality, and current therapeutic approaches remain limited in targeting secondary injury mechanisms. This scoping review aimed to summarize the types, dosages, treatment durations, and therapeutic effects of herbal medicine as an adjuvant therapy in experimental TBI models. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer Link, and additional sources using predefined eligibility criteria focused on rodent TBI models and herbal interventions. Thirteen studies published between 2016 and 2025 were included. Most studies were preclinical experiments using male rats or mice, while two clinical randomized controlled trials involving TBI patients were also identified. The reviewed interventions included Centella asiatica, luteolin, Pycnogenol, rhubarb, rhein, cinnamon extract, Yunnan Baiyao, TH-CD, Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction, and herbal combinations. Treatment duration typically ranged from 3 to 14 days. Overall, herbal interventions demonstrated potential neuroprotective effects by reducing neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal apoptosis, edema, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier, leading to improvements in neurological, histopathological, and selected clinical outcomes.
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