Traditional medicine in a modern light: a scoping review on the osteoprotective potential of <i>Eucommia ulmoides</i>
Wang Y., Chen G., Wang Q., Liu B., He Q., Huang X.
Narrative Review, published in Front Pharmacol (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Narrative Review
- Journal
- Front Pharmacol (2025)
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- Europe PMC
- PMID
- 41646940
- PMCID
- PMC12868233
- DOI
- 10.3389/fphar.2025.1673870
Abstract (original English)
Background/objectives Eucommia ulmoides (Du-Zhong), a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has long been valued for its ability to strengthen bones and muscles. Recent research highlights its potential in supporting bone health and managing osteoporosis. This scoping review summarises existing evidence on the role of Eucommia ulmoides in osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted from inception to November 2025 across six databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and CQVIP. Studies investigating the effects of Eucommia ulmoides extracts or its bioactive compounds on bone-related outcomes in cellular, animal, or human models of osteoporosis were included. Results Ninety studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence demonstrates that Eucommia ulmoides and its bioactive compounds, most notably aucubin, geniposide, rutin, and pinoresinol diglucoside, consistently promote osteoblastogenesis and inhibit osteoclastogenesis. These effects are mediated through the modulation of key signalling pathways, including BMP/SMAD, Wnt/β-catenin, OPG/RANKL, and MAPK/NF-κB. In animal models, the treatment improved bone mineral density (BMD), enhanced trabecular microarchitecture (increased bone volume fraction, trabecular number and thickness), and increased bone biomechanical strength. Clinical studies, while preliminary, repor
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
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