Research state of the herbal medicine Huangqi (Radix Astragali): A global and bibliometric study

Abstract

Background: Huangqi (Radix Astragali) is a natural medicine with a wide range of uses. The research related to Huangqi is getting hotter and the number of publications is gradually increasing. This study aims to explore the current status and emerging trends of Huangqi-related research. Method: Huangqi-related literature was systemically obtained from the Web of Science database. The CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and, R package “Bibliometrix” tools were used to analyze the number of publications, countries, research institutions, journals, authors, keywords, references, and trends. Results: A total of 2255 papers were retrieved for analysis. These papers were written by 11,247 authors from 1927 institutions in 71 countries, published in 570 journals, and cited 73,534 references from 11,553 journals. From 1999 to 2022, the number of publications gradually increased. China was the country with the highest number of publications. The most prolific institution was Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine was the journal publishing the most Huangqi-related literature. Dr Karl Wah Keung Tsim was the authors with the most output publications. The Review, entitle “Review of the Botanical Characteristics, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Astragalus membranaceous (Huangqi),” was the reference being cited most frequently. The major keywords were apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Gut microbiota and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions were new research hotspots in recent years. Conclusion: This study used quantitative and visual analysis of Huangqi to provide insights into the research priorities, frontier research hotspots, and future research trends in this field.