This review article explores the possible role of Chinese medicine (CM) in modulating stem cells for regenerative medicine, synthesizing evidence from animal experiments and human trials. The article focuses on how CM modulates the stem cell environment, specifically their roles in delaying cellular senescence and promoting stem cell survival, enhancing proliferation and differentiation, as well as stimulating exosome secretion. It also conducts a critical analysis of methodological rigor and clinical transparency within the included studies to enable a more objective assessment of their reliability and reproducibility. To guarantee the responsible integration of CM and stem cells in future clinical application, it also discussed the safety, efficacy, and heterogeneity of stem cells, as well as delivery methods, alongside the dose-response relationship of CM. The current evidence for CM in stem cell therapy remains constrained by the absence of standardized comparative baselines in animal studies and clinical outcome assessment. This methodological gap not only compromises the evidentiary weight of herbal effects but also introduces confounding variables in studies. The elucidation of CM mechanistic role in stem cell therapeutics necessitates robust interdisciplinary collaboration, this is an imperative and critically urgent thing within peer-reviewed research framework.
Keywords: Chinese medicine (CM); Environment; Exosome; Mechanism; Proliferation and differentiation; Regenerative medicine; Senescence; Stem cell; Survival.