Review of Cervi Cornu Parvum Pharmacopuncture in Korean Medicine

Objective: The endpoint of this review is to investigate existing studies of Cervi cornu parvum (CCP) pharmacopuncture within Korean medicine journals in order to present a better research method in the future. Methods: We searched all the papers through six Korean electrical databases that included the title of "Cervi cornu parvum pharmacopuncture" or "Cervi cornu parvum aqua-acupuncture". Articles that had been published until December 2012 were largely divided into experimental studies and clinical studies. Results: Fifty-three (53) experimental studies and six clinical studies were found. The number of published articles has been constantly increasing. Many of the experimental studies demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects for arthritis, and most of the clinical studies dealt with musculoskeletal problems. Conclusion: Various therapeutically significant effects of the CCP pharmacopuncture have been found through this review; however, more systematic clinical studies on the CCP pharmacopuncture seem to be necessary to substantially support its clinical effects.