TCM Databases: New Functions Available

Traditional Chinese Medical Database System, a series of databases of traditional Chinese medicine, set up by the Institute of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has some new functions available recently.

The system is composed by 10 Chinese databases and 2 English databases, including TCMLARS (Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System), TCDBASE (Traditional Chinese Drug Database), TTDBASE (Traditional Tibetan Drug Database), OTC Database, CLINMED (Clinical Medicine Database), Database of Chemical Component from Traditional Chinese Medicines, Traditional Chinese Medicine Product Database, Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation Database, TCMNEWS (Traditional Chinese Medicine News Database) and China Hospital Database. The databases are available on the web or CD-ROMs. While doing online search, not only each of them is searchable, but all the databases, no matter what kind of the structures they have and what kind of software they use, could be searched at the same time by a common search channel. For instance, if you type ginger into the query on the page of common search channel and click the search button, then you could get the literature information on ginger from TCMLARS, factual information on ginger from TCDBASE, news on ginger from TCMNEWS, etc., at the same time. It is much effective and efficient than search each of database respectively.

In addition, a relevancy databases analysis system has been developing, with which relevant information by frequency order could be found from all aspects. For example, after searching by diabetics, all the traditional Chinese medicine formulae for this disease could be shown and the first one is the one used most frequently. If click the name of the formula, you can see some detailed information on it, such as the indication, ingredients, usage and dosage, and precaution, etc. You could also find information about the producers and the relevant papers. Meanwhile, herbs and the chemical components from herbs those used for diabetics could be found from the system by frequency order, too. And click the name of herbs or chemical components, the detailed information on them could be shown. The system was praised by the medical researchers when it was being tested. They think it is very helpful for their research work.