Research status and future focus on : A bibliometric analysis of past and present studies.

BACKGROUND

is a traditional herb widely used in Asian countries. As regulatory institutions increasingly acknowledge its medicinal and food-related characteristics, the attention from scholars is expected to increase rapidly. However, an overview and reports on research focus on this promising herb are currently lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic review of relevant literature to explore the developing history and research focus on . This research is of significant importance in gaining a deeper understanding of the potential benefits and application areas of .

METHOD

The output, institutions, countries, authors, highly cited publications, frontier focus and funding agencies of were analyzed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and COOC software.

RESULTS

The development of experienced 3 stages: initial stage (1979-2002), fast stage (2003-2012), and explosive stage (2013-present), with each stage showing linear growth. Worldwide attention from 1292 institutions in 27 countries have been paid, with China leading in output and collaboration. Lanzhou University in China contributed most publications with Fangdi Hu as a core specialist facilitating collaborations in agricultural and pharmacological research. A stable cooperation network has formed among researchers from different fields, focusing on pharmacological activity, chemical constituents, quality control, and medication rules. The research focus updated timely with new scientific frontiers occur. Medication rules, data mining, molecular docking, traditional Chinese medicine, gut microbiota, and polysaccharide are frontier focus presently and in the near future. Significant attention and funding have been provided by the national and local government of Gansu province in China.

CONCLUSION

Research on is thriving, particularly in China, with a promising future in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology. This study provides valuable insights for future research directions and contributes to the effective development of .