Types and Dosages of Pharmacopuncture for Facial Nerve Paralysis in Clinical Practice: A Scoping Review

This study aims to review the types and dosages of pharmacopuncture administered for peripheral facial palsy in clinical practice.A scoping review was conducted by searching domestic (i.e., Research Information Sharing Service, Science ON, and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System) and international databases (i.e., PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Cochrane Library) for articles published until May 5, 2025.The studies specifying the pharmacopuncture dosages for the treatment of facial palsy were included.The data on the pharmacopuncture type, dosage, acupoints, and treatment frequency were extracted and analyzed.This study included 34 studies.Hominis placental pharmacopuncture was the most frequently used technique, followed by sweet bee venom (SBV) pharmacopuncture.The average dosage per point was 0.25 mL for hominis placental pharmacopuncture and 0.10 mL for SBV pharmacopuncture, with a total average of 0.67 mL for hominis placental pharmacopuncture and 0.38 mL for SBV pharmacopuncture.The treatments were typically administered approximately 5.9 times per week, 0.84 times per day.The most commonly used acupoints were ST4, TE17, ST6, and BL2.Further studies, particularly randomized controlled trials, are required to establish the optimal dosages and protocols for each pharmacopuncture type for the treatment of facial palsy.