Objective To perform a visualized bibliometric analysis of research on the Dai medicine Clerodendranthus spicatus in the field of traditional Chinese medicine based on the CiteSpace knowledge graph, systematically summarize recent research trends, clarify hotspots and future directions, and provide a reference for further development and application of C. spicatus. Methods Chinese and English literature on C. spicatus in traditional Chinese medicine was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection from 1 January 1995 to 30 October 2025. Records from each database were imported into NoteExpress for automatic and manual de-duplication, and then screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Based on the final dataset, CiteSpace and Microsoft Excel were used to perform visual analyses of publication output, authors, institutions, country distribution and keywords. In addition, the top 10 most-cited Chinese and English articles were subjected to high-cited literature analysis. Results A total of 626 publications were included, comprising 274 Chinese and 352 English articles, with an overall fluctuating upward trend in annual output. The most productive authors were Song Liqun and Ismail Zhari. Co-authorship networks showed relatively close collaboration within research teams but limited cooperation between different teams. The most productive institutions were the Yunnan Branch of the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Universiti Sains Malaysia, with core institutions mainly being traditional Chinese medicine research institutes and universities. Malaysia was the most productive country. Keyword analysis indicated that Chinese studies mainly focused on medicinal resources, traditional uses and clinical research, whereas English literature emphasized phytochemical profiling, pharmacological activities, data mining and molecular mechanisms. High-cited literature analysis revealed that both Chinese and English classic studies chiefly concentrated on chemical constituents and material basis, pharmacological effects and mechanisms, preparation technology and modern methodological innovation, as well as research progress, collectively forming a “constituent-pharmacology-formulation” research framework. Conclusion Research on C. spicatus in the field of traditional Chinese medicine has shown sustained growth, with its pharmacological mechanisms and clinical applications in the prevention and treatment of kidney diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, and cancer becoming major research hotspots. Future studies should integrate systems pharmacology and multi-omics technologies, strengthen mechanistic exploration, and establish scientific quality control and clinical evaluation systems, thereby promoting the modernization and innovative development of C. spicatus and providing a reference for research on this herb and other ethnic medicines.

Clerodendranthus spicatus (Thunb.) C. Y. Wu  /  traditional Chinese medicine  /  CiteSpace  /  bibliometrics  /  knowledge mapping  /  visual analysis