The Use of Toxic or Poisonous Materials in Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Call for Papers

Through human history, we accumulated knowledge that some biomaterials from animals, plants, and microorganisms are toxic or poisonous to humans. Concurrently, we discovered that the poisonous biomaterials are also beneficial to humans. As a result, the poisonous biomaterials, such as bee venom, toad venom, cantharides, scorpions, and centipedes, have been prescribed as part of traditional medicine for several thousand years.

Given the significance of the biomaterials in traditional medicine, government agencies of countries including China and the Republic of Korea have set guidelines for the doses and administration methods of those biomaterials for patients. However, clinical and experimental evidence supporting for the safety and efficacy of the biomaterials is scarce.

Thus, we call for original research articles or review articles that cover the poisonous or toxic biomaterials in basic research, clinical practice, or clinical trials. We are particularly interested in the articles on systematic reviews, basic research, or clinical trials on bee venom and other toxic or poisonous materials. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Randomized clinical trials on the efficacy of poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• Systematic reviews on clinical trials on poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• Clinical practice guideline or expert consensus on medical usage of poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• Clinical and pharmacological studies on poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• Recent advances in the usage of poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• In vitro studies assessing effects of poisonous or toxic biomaterials
• In vivo studies on poisonous or toxic biomaterials

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/ecam/toxic/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Jong-In Kim, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Guest Editors

• Myeong Soo Lee, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
• Chang-Yan Chen, Department of Radiation Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 5th Floor, 21-27 Burlington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA
• Myungsoo Joo, Division of Applied Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Kyungnam, Republic of Korea
• Jun-Yong Choi, Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
• Hongbo Hu, Nutrition and Food Safety Section, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, China