Objective  To explore the research hotspots and trends of the traditional Chinese medicine compound Zheng Gan decoction based on bibliometrics.

Methods All the literature related to Zheng Gan decoction was searched through the CNKI, Web of Science and PubMed databases, using keywords such as "Zheng Gan decoction" and "hepatocellular carcinoma", and the time span of the search was from the establishment of the databases to February 1st, 2025. Software tools such as VOSviewer, Scimago and CiteSpace were used for the econometric analysis and visualisation of the literature, to analyze the research hotspots and trends of the traditional Chinese medicine compound Zheng Gan decoction.

Results  A total of 72 articles were initially retrieved and 35 articles were finally included. The results of bibliometrics showed that the related research of Zheng Gan decoction began in 2004, the largest number of articles was issued in 2013, the annual number of articles issued in the past five years showed a continuous upward trend, and hepatocellular carcinoma was the current research hotspot of Zheng Gan decoction. Four research teams were formed, represented by Yang Daguo, Chen Wenlin, Kim Nalee, and Wang Ping. The Department of Hepatology of the Shenzhen Third People's Hospital was the institution with the highest  number of publications (14 articles), and Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine on Liver Diseases was the journal with the highest number of publications (9 articles).

Conclusion This study utilises bibliometrics to conduct a comprehensive analysis of literature related to Zheng Gan decoction, providing a methodological reference for future research to focus on elucidating the regulatory effects of Zheng Gan decoction on liver cancer through spatial transcriptomics. Additionally, a three-dimensional mapping model of traditional Chinese medicine compound components -targets -signalling pathways is constructed, achieving the integration of traditional formula theory with systems biology paradigms.

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