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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.