Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (May 2025)
A review of recent artificial intelligence for traditional medicine
Abstract
Traditional Medicine (TM) has played a crucial role in global healthcare due to its long history and holistic approach. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary technology, offering exceptional capabilities in areas such as data mining, pattern recognition, and decision-making. The integration of Artificial Intelligence for Traditional Medicine (AITM) presents a promising frontier in advancing medicine and healthcare. In this review, we explore AITM from two perspectives: recent AI techniques and TM applications. Specifically, we investigate how Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Large Language Models are applied to TM, covering applications such as diagnosis (before, during, after) and research (drug research, structured knowledge, data analysis). By leveraging advanced algorithms and models, AI can improve decision-making efficiency, optimize diagnosis accuracy, enhance patient experience, and reduce costs. We anticipate this review can bridge the gap between AI and TM communities. And the goal is to foster collaboration and innovation between both communities, enabling them to exploit the state-of-the-art AI techniques to advance TM diagnosis and research, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of human health.