Materials were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) from 2008 to the present. The WoSCC and SCI-E remain indispensable tools for bibliometric research, distinguished by their discipline-wide coverage, high quality data, in-depth citation capabilities and historical integrity. The WoSCC can provide indicators such as H-index, citation count, and journal impact factor. And it is seamlessly integrated with multiple platforms to support visualization and analysis of collaboration networks and research trends. SCI-E focuses on natural science fields, and its selection criteria are more stringent to ensure the academic standardization of the included literature.

We used the following search terms: TS=((“liver cancer” OR “Liver Neoplasm” OR “liver tumors” OR “Hepatocellular Cancers” OR “Hepatoma” OR “Liver Carcinoma” OR “Hepatic tumor” OR “Hepatic cancer” OR “Cancer of Liver” OR “cancer of the liver” OR “hepatic neoplasms” OR “Neoplasm of liver” OR “liver and intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma” OR “liver and intrahepatic biliary tract cancer” OR “Tumor of liver” OR “liver malignant tumors” OR “Neoplasm of the liver” OR “Hepatocellular Carcinoma”) AND (“herbal medicine” OR “herbal therapy” OR “herb therapy” OR “phytotherapy” OR “drugs, Chinese herbal” OR “ethnobotany”)). The search was completed on September 28, 2024, including 799 publications.

To ensure our inclusion criteria were met, we carefully reviewed the type and full texts of the search results. Publications were screened according to the following inclusion and exclusion criteria:

Inclusion Criteria:

Exclusion Criteria:

After the scrutiny, we obtained a total of 634 documents ( Figure 1 ).

The data did not contain identifiable patient information and therefore did not require an ethical review. Excel, Citespace 6.4.R1, VOSviewer 1.6.20, Scimago Graphica, and Bibliometrix 4.1 were used for data analysis (16).

The annual volume of publications is summarized in Excel. Analyze countries, institutions, authors, journals, article co-citations, and keywords using Citespace 6.4.R1. Utilize Scimago Graphica and VOSviewer 1.6.20 to create country cooperation network maps. Analyze authors and journals using Bibliometrix 4.1.

The Hirsch index (H-index) indicates that at least H published papers have been cited at least H times (17). It is a useful measure for evaluating the volume and impact of a researcher’s scholarly output. A higher H-index indicates greater contribution and influence. Centrality serves as a measure of the impact of nodes within a network. Nodes with higher centrality are connected to more other nodes. Burst analysis can reveal abrupt shifts in citations or keywords during a specified time frame, helping to identify important nodes and gain insights into emerging research trends. In the graph, node size indicates the number of publications, colors indicate different clusters, and line thickness indicates the degree of cooperation.

The study encompasses an analysis of 634 scholarly articles about herbal medicine for liver cancer. As shown in Figure 2 , the highest publication year was 2021 (67) and the lowest was 2008 (7). The annual growth rate for publications is 12.93%.

A total of 61 countries contributed to research on herbal medicine and liver cancer. Table 1 lists the top ten countries by the number of publications. China led with 456 articles, accounting for 53.52% the total. The United States followed with 53 publications, South Korea with 43, India with 37, and Saudi Arabia with 25. China, the USA, and India stood out with higher centrality values (0.52, 0.35, and 0.25, respectively), indicating their pivotal roles in international cooperation. Despite a low publication count (8), the United Kingdom ranked fourth in centrality (0.16), showcasing its high-quality publications and extensive scientific cooperation with other countries. Figure 3 illustrates the collaborative networks of the top 18 countries by publication count. Figure 3 indicates that China maintains a high level of cooperation and exchange with the United States and Australia.

Table 2 highlights the significant contributions of Chinese research institutions in the field. Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine leads with 29 publications, followed by China Medical University Taiwan with 28 and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine with 22. Despite its relatively low global publication count, Guangzhou Medical University surpasses other institutions in centrality (n=0.24), indicating widespread recognition of its research. The Egyptian Knowledge Bank has published 16 articles, the highest number outside Chinese research institutions. Figure 4 presents a co-occurrence graph of publishing.

A total of 375 authors contributed to research on herbal medicine and liver cancer during the study period. Table 3 lists the top ten most productive authors, all from China. It is regrettable that no non-Chinese scholars have appeared on the list thus far. Wang Ning ranks as the most prolific author with 14 articles, followed by Feng YiBin and Li Xin, who each have 13 articles. They also possess high h-indices, indicating their influence in the field. Figure 5 illustrates the authors’ achievements over time, while Figure 6 displays an author collaboration network constructed using CiteSpace.

Throughout the study period, 259 journals published articles on herbal medicine and liver cancer. Table 4 displays the top ten journals, with the JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY leading in publications, followed by EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE and BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY. BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY boasts the highest impact factor (n=6.9). Despite having a relatively small number of publications, ONCOLOGY REPORTS possesses a high h-index, indicating high-quality literature. The dual-map overlay in Figure 7 illustrates that journals publishing on herbal medicine and liver cancer are primarily in the fields of molecular biology and immunology, whereas the cited journals are mainly in the fields of environment, toxicology, and nutrition.

Small (18) first introduced the concept of co-citation as a research method to assess the degree of relationship between documents in 1973. The number of citations can reflect the impact of an article in a particular field of research. Table 5 lists the ten papers with the highest co-citation strengths. The most prevalent article type is the multicenter study. According to CiteSpace analysis, the publication with the highest co-citation strength and total citations is “Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries” (19). The article, authored by Sung H and published in the A Cancer Journal for Clinicians in 2021, appears in the journal with the highest impact factor in the world. It presents an updated analysis of the global cancer burden using the GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates of cancer incidence and mortality provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Keywords are essential for reflecting the main topics of an article. Table 6 showcases the ten most frequently used keywords in the study, with “hepatocellular” (n=307), “carcinoma” (n=142), and “in vitro” (n=93) being the most prevalent. The timeline view of keyword clustering created by CiteSpace ( Figure 8 ) highlights specific clusters such as “NF kappa B”, apoptosis, “oxidative stress”, “Chinese herbal medicine”, “Chinese medicine”, and “medicinal plants” with respective sizes of 82, 68, 67, 54, 45, and 42. These categories represent the primary classifications in herbal medicine related to liver cancer. Figure 9 illustrates the top 25 keywords with the strongest citation bursts. “Network pharmacology”, antioxidant, “adjuvant therapy”, and “molecular docking” are poised to emerge as significant areas of research in the near future.

In recent years, a growing body of literature has demonstrated the efficacy of herbal medicine in treating liver cancer. China has emerged as a leader in this field, with the highest volume and centrality of publications, and the top 10 most productive authors all coming from Chinese research institutions. The top 10 publications on herbal medicine for liver cancer were all affiliated with Chinese research institutions. All of the aforementioned analyses suggest that herbal medicine for liver cancer exhibits a more distinct geographical character. This creates specific challenges for the global dissemination of the discipline’s culture. These publications appeared in 259 different journals, with the Journal of Ethnopharmacology having the highest number of publications and the highest h-index. The journals publishing articles on herbal medicine for liver cancer primarily focused on molecular biology and immunology, while the cited journals were predominantly from the fields of environment, toxicology, and nutrition.

We used CiteSpace to conduct a keyword analysis to assess current research trends and frontiers. The findings revealed that the most frequently occurring keywords from 2008 to 2024 were hepatocellular carcinoma, apoptosis, and “in vitro”. Additionally, our analysis identified “NF kappa B” and apoptosis as the leading keyword clusters in current research. Based on the assessment of trending keywords, “network pharmacology”, antioxidants, “adjuvant therapy”, and “molecular docking” are anticipated to emerge as popular research areas in the coming years.