Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis with Chinese Herbal Medicines

In this paper, laboratory reports, medication rules, formulating principles, and research methods are summarized and analyzed, including single herb, compound herbs, and the problems in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis (OP) within the past decade. With widely recognized efficacy, satisfying achievements have been achieved in preventing and treating OP with Chinese herbal medicines (CHM). However, due to the complex constituents, the pharmacological activities and mechanism of CHM are not clear yet, and there is no unified standard on the diagnosis and syndrome differentiation of OP and the efficacy evaluation of CHM in the treatment. Accordingly, the research in the future should focus on the pharmacology and standardization of CHM in treating OP.