Acupuncture for Skin Conditions

2026, Jul

Electroacupuncture at LI11 and SP10 attenuates inflammation and pruritus in a rat model of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis-like urticaria via mast cell modulation related to transient receptor potential vanilloid 1

Journal of Integrative Medicine

Electroacupuncture at LI11 and SP10 alleviates local inflammation and pruritus in a passive cutaneous anaphylaxis-like urticaria model, with effects associated with mast cell regulation and modulation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1-related signaling.

Zhao Y, You L, Zhang J, Wang W, Li S, Li J Full Article

2026, Jun 08

Electroacupuncture at LI11 and SP10 is associated with alleviation of acute urticaria-like reactions in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis: an exploratory analysis of complement-related proteins and multiscale omics

Frontiers in Immunology

The electroacupuncture intervention was associated with reduced acute inflammatory responses, decreased expression of components of the C3a/C5a-C3aR/C5aR axis, and alterations in lipid and amino acid metabolic profiles in the ovalbumin-induced passive cutaneous anaphylaxis model.

You LX, Zhao Y, Zhang JY, Li SJ, Li JQ Full Article

2026, May 20

Traditional Chinese medicine fumigation combined with Musk hemorrhoid suppository for wound healing and inflammation control in patients with mixed hemorrhoids after Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy

Frontiers in Surgery

Zhao H, Liu Y, Zhao L, Na B Full Article

2025, May 29

Wrist-ankle acupuncture alleviates pain in the acute phase of herpes zoster: A randomized controlled trial

PLOS One Public Library of Science

Wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with standard pharmacological treatment showed a higher clinical cure rate of pain on day 7 after treatment began compared to standard pharmacological treatment alone, suggesting a potential new strategy for pain relief in acute herpes zoster.

Pu J, Li D, Luo X, Wang J, Li Y, Lei L, Zhao X, Du H, Yang X, Du X Full Article

2025, Mar 21

Efficacy of electroacupuncture on clinical signs and immunological factors in herpes zoster: The first systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials

Medicine

The study found that electroacupuncture treatment showed significant benefits compared to Western medicine in herpes zoster patients in terms of clinical and immunological factors, and the combination of electroacupuncture with Western medicine had even better effects than electroacupuncture alone.

Zhou Q, Jing M, Ren H, Li G, Wang Z Full Article

2024, Jan

Electroacupuncture on Baihui (DU20) and Xuehai (SP10) acupoints alleviates psoriatic inflammation by regulating neurotransmitter substance P- Neurokinin-1 receptor signaling

Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan

Electroacupuncture relieved psoriasis-like inflammation and T cell infiltration, likely through modulation of Substance P and its receptor neurokinin 1 receptor.

Qi C, Feng F, Guo JN, Liu Y, Guo XY, Meng YJ, Di TT, Hu XQ, Wang Y, Zhao N, Zhang XW, Wang Y, Zhao J, Li P Full Article

2024, May 17

Efficacy and safety of therapies related to acupuncture for acute herpes zoster: A PRISMA systematic review and network meta-analysis

Medicine

Acupuncture therapies, particularly electroacupuncture (EA) + pricking and cupping (PC) and EA + fire needle (FN), were found to be effective in improving pain, reducing the duration of herpes increase, and decreasing the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia in acute herpes zoster patients, with acceptable levels of adverse events.

Liang XY, Chen X, Li XM, Yang S, Wang SY, Ma DD, Guo MM, Zhang H Full Article

2024, Jun

A bibliometric analysis and visualization of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia

Skin Research and Technology

Chen J, Luo C, Ju P, Tu S, Shi S, Wang Z, Wu H Full Article

2023, Sept 29

Comparison of efficacy of acupuncture-related therapy in the treatment of herpes zoster: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Medicine

Acupotomy was found to be the most effective in improving VAS scores and the time of incrustation, while bloodletting, acupuncture, fire needle, and moxibustion were effective in various aspects of treating herpes zoster and reducing the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.

Zhang J, Mou Q, Wang Z, Huang J, Zhang Y, Li F Full Article

2023, Feb 28

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Acupuncture Research Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine Society

Acupuncture showed significant improvements in visual analog scale (VAS), effective rate, times to pain relief and elimination, blister cessation times, and a lower incidence rate of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) compared to conventional medication therapy for patients with HZ.

Choi SK, Moon JH, Jang WS, Jang JE, Park SH, Sung WS, Jung CY, Seo BK, Lee SD, Kim KH, Kim EJ Full Article

2022, Mar

Successfully treated recalcitrant atopic eczema with acupoint autohemotherapy: A case report and hypothesized mechanism of the therapy

Journal of Integrative Medicine

Acupoint autohemotherapy resolved the patient's atopic eczema symptoms, normalized her immunoglobulin E level, and prevented relapse during six months of follow-up, suggesting potential anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects as a complementary treatment.

Zhao B, Chen Y, Liao S, Zheng J, Yan S, Zhang D Full Article

2022, Jul 11

The effects of auricular acupuncture at Lung, Shenmen, Endocrine, Adrenal points on adult eczema: a randomized trial

MedPharmRes

Combining auricular acupuncture Lung, Shenmen, Endocrine, Adrenal points, and modern medication treatment may relieve effectively symptoms and improve the quality of life (qoL) in adult eczema (AE).

Thi Trinh DT, Man Pham Bui M, Thuong Nguyen H Full Article

2022, Jan

Efficacy comparison of different acupuncture methods for herpes zoster: a systematic review and Bayesian analysis

TMR Non-Drug Therapy

Acupuncture methods, particularly fire-acupuncture plus electro-acupuncture, are considered effective alternatives for treating herpes zoster, although the results should be interpreted with caution due to potential issues with sample size.

Xu HC, Jiang YW, Shi YC, Liu P, Deng L Full Article

2022, Jul 04

Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Pain Control in Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

EA was found to be superior to control treatment in terms of visual analog scale, time to rash healing, and incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. Subgroup analyses showed that 2/100?Hz-EA was more effective, but no significant differences were observed in the time to cessation of pustules, scabs, and adverse reactions. However, publication bias was noted, and weak evidence was found for the safety of EA.

He K, Ni F, Huang Y, Zheng M, Yu H, Han D, Ma R Full Article

2022, Mar 10

External Therapy of Chinese Medicine for Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Acupuncture therapy showed higher clinical cure rates, lower visual analog scale scores, and a significant reduction in the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia compared to conventional pharmacotherapy for herpes zoster. Acupuncture was also found to be cost-effective with fewer adverse reactions.

Wu L, Chen Y, Man T, Jin L, Xu Z, Lv L, Luo J, Zhu T Full Article

2022, Sept 09

Efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture in the treatment of chronic urticaria: A meta-analysis

Medicine

Our research results found that traditional Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture has a more significant effect than conventional Western medicine and can significantly reduce the recurrence rate and the incidence of adverse reactions.

Lu Z, Zhou Q, Chai S, Yang H, Wang J, Luo H, Cao Y, Tao M Full Article

2022, Feb 18

Traditional Chinese Medicine for HIV-Associated Acute Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture demonstrate more benefits than drugs in pain relief, cure rate improvement, and incidence reduction of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Jiang Y, Zheng RX, Yu ZY, Zhang XW, Li J, Lan HD, Qiao SY, Han M, Cao HJ, Robinson N, Liu JP Full Article

2022, Oct 03

Longdan Xiegan formula as adjuvant therapy for acute herpes zoster: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Dermatologic Therapy

Longdan Xiegan (LDXG) formula as adjuvant therapy may achieve additional benefits in terms of accelerating skin healing process, relieving pain symptoms, and preventing persistent pain in acute herpes zoster patients.

Zhang L, Duan A, Li Y, Feng J Full Article

2022, Sept 27

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for atopic dermatitis: Evidence from eight high-quality randomized placebo-controlled trials

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) improved the size and severity of the skin lesions and sleep quality in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Comparing the adverse effects between the two groups, CHM is safe. However, CHM does not improve the quality of life or the patient’s IgE levels.

Cai X, Sun X, Liu L, Zhou Y, Hong S, Wang J, Chen J, Zhang M, Wang C, Lin N, Li S, Xu R, Li X Full Article

2021, Jul 15

The effects of modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction combined with Gangtai ointment on the wound healing and anal function in circumferential mixed hemorrhoid patients

American Journal of Translational Research

Modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction combined with Gangtai ointment for patients with circumferential mixed hemorrhoids has good short-term efficacy. It helps to promote wound healing, improves anal function, and does not increase the incidence of adverse reactions. It is worthy of promotion and application.

Lu B, Du J, Wu X Full Article

2021, Oct

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for psoriasis: an overview of systematic reviews

Annals of Palliative Medicine

Our overview suggests that acupuncture could be used as a complementary therapy to produce effective clinical result for psoriasis.

Jing M, Shi L, Zhang Y, Zhu M, Yuan F, Zhu B, Chen M, Ge X Full Article

2021, May 21

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine longdanxiegan decoction combined with val-acyclovir in herpes zoster: A systematic review and mate-analysis

Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports

Our systematic evaluation provides evidence for the clinical effectiveness and safety of Longdanxiegan Decoction (LDXGD) combined with valacyclovir for the treatment of herpes zoster.

Wang X, , Wu L, Hou Y, Ding S, Wang S, Zhang Y, Zhang G, , , , , , Full Article

2021, Oct

Efficacy of Acupuncture for Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Complementary Medicine Research

Acupuncture is associated with reduced pain intensity, promoted skin lesion healing, and decreased PHN incidence in patients with herpes zoster (HZ). Results showed that acupuncture may be an effective therapy for patients with HZ. Nevertheless, this finding should be validated by conducting high-quality trials with larger sample size.

Cui Y, Wang F, Li H, Zhang X, Zhao X, Wang D Full Article

2021, Oct 02

Acupuncture: A therapeutic approach against acne

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology

The study concludes that acupuncture therapy can be an effective treatment option for acne, as it helps in ameliorating the underlying mechanisms involved in acne development.

Chun‐Yan C, Guang‐yao X, Yan‐yan S, Ming‐Shu X, Peng L Full Article

2021, Jan 01

Acupuncture in Dermatology: An Update to a Systematic Review

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Society for Acupuncture Research

Acupuncture is an important Traditional Chinese Medicine modality based on the fundamental theory that disease is caused by disruptions in the body's qi. Understanding the use of acupuncture in dermatology is important due to the rising prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use. This showed that acupuncture improves clinical outcomes in uremic pruritus, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and itch.

Hwang J, Lio PA Full Article

2020, Jul 09

Evidence and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Dermatological Treatment

Overall, the findings we described above indicated that TCM had a good application prospect in the remedy of psoriasis.

Dai D, Wu H, He C, Wang X, Luo Y, Song P Full Article

2020, Oct 09

Moving cupping therapy for plaque psoriasis

Medicine

Moving cupping therapy could be an effective treatment either alone or as a combination therapy for plaque psoriasis.

Xing M, Ding X, Zhang J, Kuai L, Ru Y, Sun X, Ma T, Miao X, Liu L, Wang Y, Li B, Li X Full Article

2020, Sept 02

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Allergic Diseases

Current Allergy and Asthma Reports

It is recommended that acupuncture be integrated into the therapy of allergic rhinitis and asthma, and that CHM be used as an adjunct in the treatment of allergic diseases on an individual basis.

Chan HHL, Ng T Full Article

2020, Jul

Cupping therapy for patients with chronic urticaria: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Integrative Medicine

Cupping therapy, when used in combination with antihistamine treatment or acupuncture, was found to be more effective in reducing symptoms and recurrence rates of CU compared to antihistamines alone or acupuncture alone. Wet cupping was also found to be as effective as treatment with antihistamines. However, the poor quality of the reviewed studies calls for caution in interpreting the results and applying them to clinical practice.

Xiao, X., Zhang, L., Shi, Y., Yao, J., Cao, W., Liu, Y., Zou, Z., Zhou, S., Chen, M., Li, C., Zheng, Q., & Li, Y. Full Article

2020, Aug 14

Multi-center study for acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine in the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria based on the theory of taking shu-stream points when the disease is aggravated

Medicine

This is the first use of a combination of shu-stream acupoints and Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).

Qin Y, Guo J, Song P, Hou T, He Y, Han M, Yu Q, Lin W, Chen M, Su H Full Article

2020, Sept

The effect of Lavender on pain and healing of episiotomy: A systematic review

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

This review showed that the use of Lavender (in any form) in postpartum has a significant effect on pain relief and healing of episiotomy wound.

Abedian S, Abedi P, Jahanfar S, Iravani M, Zahedian M Full Article

2020, Feb 21

Vulvar pruritus-Causes, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Approach

Deutsches Arzteblatt International

As vulvar pruritus has multiple causes, standardization of its diagnostic evaluation and treatment would be desirable, both to achieve optimal efficacy and to meet the diverse needs of women who suffer from this condition.

Woelber L, Prieske K, Mendling W, Schmalfeldt B, Tietz HJ, Jaeger A. Full Article

2019, Aug 09

The beneficial effect of traditional Japanese herbal (Kampo) medicine, Hochu‐ekki‐to (Bu‐Zhong‐Yi‐Qi‐Tang), for patients with chronic wounds refractory to conventional therapies: A prospective, randomized trial

Wound Repair and Regeneration

Hochu-ekki-to (HET) may be a choice as an adjunctive therapy for chronic wounds, particularly for patients with malnutrition.

Akita S, Namiki T, Kawasaki Y, Rikihisa N, Ogata H, Tokumoto H, Tezuka T, Kubota Y, Kuriyama M, Nakamura M, Mitsukawa N Full Article

2019, Jul 16

Is acupuncture an effective postherpetic neuralgia treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Pain Research American Society of Pain & Neuroscience

Acupuncture may reduce pain intensity, relieve anxiety and improve quality of life in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Further randomised trials with larger sample sizes and of higher methodological quality are needed to confirm these results.

Pei, W., Zeng, J., Lu, L., Lin, G., & Ruan, J. Full Article

2019, Sept 09

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for patients with atopic eczema: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

Acupuncture is effective in reducing itch intensity and may be more beneficial than conventional medicine at reducing eczema symptoms. This study assessed the effectiveness and showed positive results from randomised controlled trials.

Jiao R, Yang Z, Wang Y, Zhou J, Zeng Y, Liu Z Full Article

2018, Aug

Acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Medicine

There was not enough evidence to suggest that acupuncture was superior to pharmacologic therapy in improving global impression or life quality.

Wang, Yang., Li, Wang., Peng, Weina., Zhou, Jing., Liu, Zhishun Full Article

2018, Mar 12

Acupuncture for Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

While caution should be exercised due to quality of the included studies, acupuncture and auricular acupressure were not statistically different to guideline recommended treatments but were with fewer side effects and may be a treatment option. Future trials should address the methodological weaknesses and meet standard reporting requirements stipulated in STRICTA.

Mansu SSY, Liang H, Parker S, Coyle ME, Wang K, Zhang AL, Guo X, Lu C, Xue CCL Full Article

2018, Mar 4

Acupuncture improves symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis: A randomized, sham-controlled preliminary trial

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

This randomised controlled trial showed positive effects of acupuncture with improvement of sleep quality, prevention of itching and general quality of life for atopic dermatitis patient.

Smith CA, Armour M, Lee MS, Wang LQ, Hay PJ Full Article

2017, Aug

Acupuncture for Symptom Relief in Palliative Care—Study Protocol and Semistandardized Treatment Schemes

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute

Treatment protocols for acupuncture and medical symptom control were designed to provide sufficient symptom control and comparability among medical treatment, sham-laser acupuncture, and acupuncture groups in a three-arm randomized controlled trial.

Kramer S, Irnich D, Lorenzl S Full Article

2017, Dec 1

Acupuncture-related techniques for psoriasis: a systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Society for Acupuncture Research

This randomized controlled trials showed positive effects of acupuncture for treating psoriasis. Further acu-pressure points were encouraged to relieve inflammation on localised area.

Yeh, M. L., Ko, S. H., Wang, M. H., Chi, C. C., & Chung, Y. C. Full Article

2016, Jan

The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Patients with Chronic Urticaria: A Systematic Review

BioMed Research International

Acupuncture might be effective and safe for chronic urticaria in relieving symptoms, based on a low level of evidence.

Yao Q, Li S, Liu X, Qin Z, Liu Z Full Article

2016, Dec

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Atopic Dermatitis: An Evidence-Based Review

American Journal of Clinical Dermatology

Careful review of the literature reveals several promising therapies in this domain; such findings may help direct further research that is necessary to bolster clinical recommendations for alternative or complementary treatments of AD.

Vieira BL, Lim NR, Lohman ME, Lio PA. Full Article

2015, Jul 30

Wound‐healing effect of acupuncture for treating phonotraumatic vocal pathologies: A cytokine study

The Laryngoscope

Acupuncture of voice-related acupoints facilitated an anti-inflammatory process in phonotraumatic vocal pathologies and may be a less-invasive alternative to surgery for their treatment.

Yiu EML, Chan KMK, Li NYK, Tsang R, Abbott KV, Kwong E, Ma EPM, Tse FW, Lin Z Full Article

2015, Jan

Acupuncture Therapies for Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Complementary Medicine Research

The results of this review suggest that evidence of acupuncture and related therapies for psoriasis vulgaris is promising. The results showed some benefit in improving Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score and decreasing relapse rate. Acupuncture and related therapies also appear to be a safe treatment option for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris, with no adverse events reported. However, the conclusions are limited by the small-sized trials and conflicting results from single studies. More research is needed to clarify the effect of acupuncture therapies for psoriasis vulgaris.

Coyle M, Deng J, Zhang AL, Yu J, Guo X, Xue CC, Lu C Full Article

2015, Apr 30

Efficacy of Acupuncture in Itch: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Randomized Controlled Trials

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

This systematic review and detailed meta-analysis highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in effectiveness for ameliorating itch intensity in itch-related diseases.

Chi Yu, Pei Zhang, Zheng-Tao Lv, Jing-Jing Li, Hong-Ping Li, Cai-Hua Wu, Fang Gao, Xiao-Cui Yuan, Jing Zhang, Wei He, Xiang-Hong Jing, Man Li, Full Article

2015, Sept

Acupuncture as a treatment modality in dermatology: a systematic review

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute

The study indicated that acupuncture had statistically significant in treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity. Acupuncture was also more effective compared to other alternative therapies.

Ma, C., & Sivamani, R. K. Full Article