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Where: Online

CPE: 1.5 CPE points

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The Future of Herbal Synergy: Where Tradition Meets Technology

This presentation introduces the next generation of herbal therapies—focusing on how synergy between herbs can lead to stronger, more effective treatments than using single herbs alone. Synergy has always been a core concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and naturopathic practice, but understanding and proving how it works has been a challenge.

The session will explain what synergy means in herbal medicine, why it's often difficult to find or validate, and how modern science is starting to detect and measure synergistic effects more accurately in a combination therapy. It will also highlight how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are now being used to predict which herb combinations are likely to work best together—saving time, reducing trial and error, and opening the door to new, personalised natural treatments.

For practitioners, this is a chance to see how traditional wisdom is being validated and enhanced by cutting-edge tools. For patients and natural health advocates, it's a glimpse into how the future of herbal medicine is becoming more precise, effective, and tailored to individual needs.

Presenter: Dr. Xian (Phoebe) Zhou

Dr. Xian (Phoebe) Zhou, a Research Support Program Fellow at the NICM Health Research Institute, specializes in natural products, cardiovascular health, and mental well-being. The complex and multi-component nature of herbal medicine poses significant challenges for studying their safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of action. Dr. Zhou’s research is dedicated to addressing these scientific issues. She has developed various cellular models and AI machine learning models that can be applied to characterise interactions (synergy or antagonism) among bioactive molecules targeting therapeutic outcomes. Her research excellence has been recognised by numerous awards, including the 2019 Improving Cardiovascular Outcome Network Early Career Researchers Program Award, the 2021 Western ECR Researcher Development Award, the 2023 NSW Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN) Professional Development Award, and the 2023 ISCMR Scientific Article Prize for the best article in the field of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine for 2020 to 2021.

Dr. Zhou is an industry fellow who has demonstrated strong leadership in industry engagement for commercialization and research translation, actively developing and maintaining collaborations with numerous national and international industry partners. Her research guides industry partners in their R&D efforts to explore new therapeutic claims and strengthen scientific evidence for existing herbal and natural products. Prior to her current role, Dr. Zhou was the principal investigator of an ARC project at NICM HRI, which investigated the synergistic mechanisms of functional foods. Her research has been supported by various external funding agencies, including federal and state governments, local and international industry, and professional associations, with a total value exceeding $900,000. Her contributions to the industry have been recognized by the 2022 Young Achiever of the Year Award from Complementary Medicines Australia and the 2023 Inaugural Western Ventures Award in the WSU Research Impact Competition.