Natural Medicines for Parkinson's Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis of Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions
Kaiying Fang, Bei Niu, Zhen Zhang, Yameng Jiang, Qianli Lei, Ya Zhao, Congcong Yu, Xiaochao Chen, Zhanguo WangIntroduction:
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder globally. Natural medicines are attracting attention as neuroprotective strategies due to multi-component and multi-target properties, yet a systematic bibliometric overview is lacking. This study reviews research trends and hotspots in natural medicines for Parkinson's disease from 2006 to 2025.
Methods:
A systematic search in the Web of Science Core Collection (2006-2025) identified 1,245 relevant articles. Bibliometric tools analyzed collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, and research frontiers, followed by qualitative synthesis.
Results:
China and the United States are major contributors. Chinese institutions closely collaborate with partners such as Kyung Hee University in South Korea. Research hotspots have shifted from single-mechanism or single-target studies to multi-target mechanisms, intercellular interactions, and multi-system integration involving the gut-brain axis and neuroimmune modulation. Network pharmacology and microbiome research are emerging as new directions, driving convergence of neuropharmacology, microbiome science, systems biology, and computational biology.
Discussion:
This paradigm shift supports recognizing Parkinson's disease as a multisystem dynamic network disorder rather than a focal neurodegenerative entity, aligning with multi-target properties of natural medicines. Clinical translation of natural products urgently requires standardized component databases and gut-brain axis-related biomarkers to enable transition from mechanistic research to precision therapy.
Conclusion:
This study provides the first systematic bibliometric overview of natural medicines in Parkinson's disease over the past two decades, revealing a paradigm shift from reductionist single-target approaches to holistic multi-target and multi-system strategies. These findings offer a valuable reference for neuropharmacological research on Parkinson's disease and clinical translation of natural products.