Quality Of Chinese Medicine Research Articles

Application of Chinese medicine quality constant in grades evaluation of Moutan Cortex

There are more and more literature reports about the application of Chinese medicine quality constant in the grading evaluation of Chinese medicine decoction pieces. Chinese medicine quality constant has particularly prominent advantages in comprehensive quantification,so it has become a new method and mode for grading Chinese medicine decoction pieces,highly recognized by the academic circle. In order to determine the effect of Chinese medicine quality constant,a method of grades evaluation for Moutan cortex was established in this paper. 15 batches of samples were collected from Chinese herbal slices enterprises to determine the external morphological indexes and inner quality indexes,calculate the Chinese medicine quality constant of Moutan cortex,and divide them into different grades. The results revealed that the range of the relative quality constant of these samples was from 0. 016 to 0. 060,with percentage quality constant from 27. 4 to 100. 0. If these samples were divided into three grades: the quality constant of the first grade should be ≥0. 048 or the percentage quality constant ≥80. 0; the quality constant of the second grade should be <0. 048 but ≥0. 030 or percentage quality constant <80. 0 and ≥50. 0; the quality constant of the third grade should be <0. 030 or the percentage quality constant <50. 0. This research indicated that Chinese quality constant can objectively divide grades of Moutan cortex decoction pieces,providing reference for formulating grades standards. It was also verified from the results that traditional quality evaluation of Moutan cortex was consistent with quality constant,and the connotation of percentage quality constant was elaborated as well. At the same time,it is suggested to establish a third-party Chinese medicine slices rating agency as soon as possible,which is to unify the terminology and provide rating services for the market.

A Strategy for Selecting "Q-Markers" of Chinese Medical Preparation via Components Transfer Process Analysis with Application to the Quality Control of Shengmai Injection.

Chinese medical preparation has complicated chemical constituents. Consequently, the proper quality control methods for these Chinese medical preparations have been great challenges to the traditional Chinese medicine modernization and internationalization. What components should be chosen for quality control is a big challenge in the development of traditional Chinese medicine. A new concept of “Quality Marker” was proposed by Liu et al. to solve this problem and established a new research paradigm for traditional Chinese medicine quality study. Several strategies were proposed by the researchers in traditional Chinese medicine, here, we used Shengmai injection as an example to discuss a strategy for selecting “Quality Markers” of Chinese medical preparation by the components transfer process analysis in the Shengmai injection manufacturing process. Firstly, a total of 87 compounds were identified or partially characterized in shengmai injection. Secondly, referenced to the quality control method in China pharmacopeia and considered the biomarkers in the original medicines and representative components in the manufacturing process, four ginsenosides in Panax ginseng (Hongshen), two compounds in Schisandra chinensis (Wuweizi), and a sugar from Ophiopogon japonicas (Maidong) were quantified. As a result, these seven representative compounds exhibited an acceptable transitivity throughout the Shengmai injection manufacturing process. Finally, combined with the active ingredients, components transfer process analysis, and comprehensive evaluation by “Spider-web” analysis, six compounds were selected as the quality markers for the quality control of Shengmai injection. Through this strategy of optimization for quality markers of Shengmai injection, we found that these six compounds could represent the main bioactive substances and be easily detected in the whole process of production. Furthermore, the quality control method was developed for quality assessment and control of these six quality markers in the Shengmai injection. The total content range of the selected quality markers in the 10 batches of the Shengmai injection is 13.844-22.557 mg/mL.

Research on grades evaluation of Glycyrrizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle based on Chinese medicine quality constant

Grade of Chinese medicine slices is the most clear and most direct way to characterize the quality of Chinese medicine slices,also the basis of realizing " good quality and good prices",and it can guarantee the industry health development. Therefore,grade evaluation of Chinese medicine slices( GECMS) is highly valued and has grown rapidly in the industry. In recent years,due to the comprehensive and measureable features,the Chinese medicine quality constant evaluation method has been gradually recognized and applied.The paper is to establish a method of grades evaluation of Glycyrrizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle( GRRPCM) based on the Chinese medicine quality constant. 20 batches of samples were collected from Chinese herbal slices enterprises and 14 batches of qualified samples were selected to determine their external morphological indexes and inner quality indexes,then their Chinese medicine quality constants were calculated and the grades were determined. The results revealed that the relative quality constant of these samples ranged from 0. 70 to 14. 08,with a percentage quality constant from 4. 95 to 100. 00. If these samples were divided into three grades: the relative quality constant shall be ≥11. 27 or percentage quality constant ≥80. 03 for the first grade; the relative quality constant shall be <11. 27 but ≥7. 04,or percentage quality constant <80. 03 and ≥49. 99 for the second grade; while for the third grade,the relative quality constant shall be <7. 04 or the percentage quality constant <49. 99. This research indicates that Chinese quality constant can be used to objectively grade the herbal slices,providing reference for grades standard development of complex processing slices. In addition,the connotation of GECMS that has evaluate the mass discrepancy is discussed for expanding application.

Research on evaluation criteria over quality as core index of high grade Chinese patent medicine

"One drug was produced by many companies" is common in Chinese patent medicines. The quality and price of products from different manufacturers varies widely, and the efficacy is inconsistency. In order to ensure the quality of Chinese patent medicines and promote "Healthy national program" implementation, it is necessary to study the current status of Chinese patent medicines and carry out the evaluation criteria over quality as the core management of high grade Chinese patent medicines, which is set up to reflect the evaluation strategy and method of Chinese patent medicines from raw material, production, quality control, reevaluation and competitive power to the whole chain of brand construction. It aims to reveal the quality discrepancy from different manufacturers over the same Chinese patent medicines. The research and application will select a serials of high grade quality products, and provide reference basis for the scientific and reasonable price formation mechanism of Chinese patent medicines and purchasing drugs by centralized bidding, guide healthy competition in the market and promote the implementation of "healthy China 2030 program".

Behavior of pesticides and their metabolites in traditional Chinese medicine Paeoniae Radix Alba during processing and associated health risk

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), crude herbs are processed to obtain the medicinal parts of the plant, from which extracts are prepared for people to take as medicine. However, there is no report on the pesticide residual behavior in Chinese medicines during processing at present, and thus, a systematic study of the effects of different processing factors (PF) on pesticide removal in Chinese medicines and the associated risk of dietary exposure is urgently needed. This study main investigated the dissipation and metabolism of pesticides in Chinese medicine Paeoniae Radix Alba during processing, and the calculated pesticide PFs were also used to assess the risk of dietary exposure. For analyze samples, a simple and high-throughput multiresidue pesticide analysis method was developed and validated for pesticides and their metabolites in P. Radix. based on QuEChERS procedure combined with HPLC-MS/MS. Recoveries at three concentration levels were within 61.37%–117.82% with an associated precision RSD < 15% indicating satisfactory accuracy. TCM processing could be useful for the partial removal of several pesticide residues, with removal rate reaching 98%. The polarity is the dominant variable, which with a high contribution was the effectiveness of the treatment and the concentration factors for pesticides. The hazard quotients of all pesticides were much lower than the safety level, indicating low risk of dietary exposure. Results are of great theoretical and practical value for the scientific evaluation of the safety of Chinese medicines, improvement of the quality and safety level of Chinese medicine.

Research in technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines

Aimed to solve the issues of pesticide residue, heavy metal contents and harmful elements in the productive process of Chinese herbal medicines, the research team built the technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. This regulation included the environment of production area, the process of production, quality of products etc., which were the key steps controlled the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. The environment of production area was selected according to the ecological factors which were stipulated by Ecological Suitability Regionalization of Chinese herbal medicines (second edition). The quality of air should be attain the one or two levels of GB/T3095-2012 standard values. The cultivation soils should reach to the one or two levels of GB15618 and NY/T391 standard values. The quality of irrigation water should accord with the stipulation of GB5084-2005. Aimed to the production of Chinese herbal medicines, disease-resistant and superior varieties which were suitable to the local stations should be selected, and the breeding of superior seeds and seedlings should be strengthened. Additionally, rational fertilizer application of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines should be conformed to the principles, requirements, and the kinds of fertilizers allowed or limited for use, which were stipulated by the standard of DB13/T454. Furthermore, the plant protection policy of priority to prevention and synthetical prevention should be followed; improving ecological environment and strengthening cultivation management should be served as the basics. Agricultural measures, and biological and physical control strategies should be preferred to use; and high toxicity, residue pesticide and its mixture should be inhibited; the use of chemical pesticides should be minimized and then to decrease contamination and residue. Additionally, the quality of products should be reached to the standard of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines; high toxicity and detection rate of pesticide residues and the contents of heavy metal and harmful elements (e.g. plumbum, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and cuprum) should accord with the common criteria of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. Application of technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines guarantees significantly social, economic and ecological benefits.

Constructing a DNA barcode reference library for southern herbs in China: A resource for authentication of southern Chinese medicine.

Southern Chinese Medicine (SCM) is an important sect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with its own special cultural style. Species identification is essential for TCM quality control because authentic herbs are possibly substituted with adulterants that would threaten the health of the public or even cause death. Here, we provided the first local reference DNA barcode library based on the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) for the molecular identification of SCM. A total of 1512 specimens of southern herbs representing 359 species were collected under the instructions and identification of taxonomic experts. Genomic DNA was extracted, and the PCR reaction proceeded according to standard procedures. After Sanger sequencing, sequence assembling and annotation, a reliable ITS2 barcode library with 1276 sequences from 309 species of Southern herbs was constructed. The PCR efficiency of the whole samples was 84.39%. Characteristics of the ITS2 barcode were analyzed, including sequence lengths and GC contents in different taxa. Neighbor-joining trees based on Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) genetic distances showed a 67.56% successful rate of species identification with ITS2 barcode. In addition, 96.57% of species could be successfully identified at the genus level by the BLAST method. Eleven plant species were discovered to be cryptic. In addition, we found that there is an incorrect sequence existing in the public database, making a reliable local DNA barcode reference more meaningful. ITS2 barcodes exhibit advantages in TCM identification. This DNA barcode reference library could be used in Southern Chinese Medicine quality control, thus contributing to protecting public health.

Background and overall design of Chinese medicine resources assessment

This paper comprehensively analyses the background and meaning of The Technological Guiding Principle for Assessment of Chinese Medicine Resources enacted by the former CFDA ( China Food and Drug Administration), moreover, it also points out that the Chinese medicine resources assessment with the purpose of guaranteeing the sustainable supplying capacity of Chinese medicine resources is the premise of new drug development; the Chinese medicine resources assessment which takes quality guarantee as the core is a significant action to promote the fixing of place of origin and quality-management antedisplacement for the traditional Chinese medicine industry; in this regard, the Chinese medicine resources assessment which aims at realizing the whole-process traceability is the key to building the high-quality modern traditional Chinese medicine brand. The Chinese medicine resources assessment which takes the classical prescription as the entry point is the embodiment of the protection of traditional Chinese medicine resources and international vision of regulation, which aims at clarifying the thinking for the relevant enterprises to carry out the Chinese medicine resources assessment. Base on the general thinking of ensuring that the "total amount of Chinese medicine resources is fixed and the supply is guaranteed", this paper clarifies two methods of Chinese medicine resources assessment: "family property assessment" of Chinese medicine resources based on "fixed total amount", "supply and demand balance assessment" of Chinese medicine resources based on "supply guarantee". In this regard, the basic strategy of "supply and demand balance assessment" of Chinese medicine resources based on "guaranteed supply" is put forward and it is believed that the resources assessment will lead to the significant adjustment of traditional Chinese medicinal materials production. It becomes the only way for the development of various Chinese medicine production enterprises to realize the comprehensive improvement of Chinese medicine quality, brand construction, the establishment of preferential price mechanism.

Research on the innovative mode of comprehensive ability training for the Chinese medicine majors based on the combination of "multi-mode and multi-ways"

Chinese medicine talents are the foundation and guarantee for the development of TCM, and the first resource for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine. Reforming the curriculum system and training mode of Chinese medicine, training Chinese medicine professional who are suitable for research and development of Chinese medicine, such as cultivation of Chinese medicine materials, quality detection, species identification and resource census, is the direction of further expansion and reformation of Chinese medicine education. In this article, on account of the characteristic of Chinese medicine professional courses, we will combine practice education mode with professional knowledge competition, to probe innovative mode of comprehensive ability training for Chinese medicine based on the combination of Multi-mode and Multi-Ways. The new mode of Chinese medicine education is to provide reference for trainers of Chinese medicine. Key words: Education, pharmacy, undergraduate (TCD); Multi-mode; Multi-ways; Comprehensive ability culture; Teaching (TCMP)

Dual evidence for herbalism studies: Herbal textual research and Bencao archaeology

Chinese Materia Medica is one of the most complete traditional pharmaceutical systems in the world, and in recent years, herbalism studies have successfully focused on collating and studying the herbal literature and textual research. These studies have mainly relied on the compilation of historical documents. More than 1000 types of ancient herbal books have been recorded, and over 400 of these are still accessible. Textual studies have been receiving increased attention from herbalists recently compared to that during the past generations, especially after the introduction of modern plant taxonomy, which had made textual research increasing easier. Through extensive literature studies, medical practitioners have been able to better identify medicinal plants and evaluate their properties. Scientific herbal textual research can determine the origin and compositions of herbal medicines, based on historical facts, and unveil ancient drug production processes and the clinical applications of traditional Chinese medicines, which will provide a referential basis to the scientific and medical community. However, conclusions derived solely based on reviewing ancient literature are sometimes controversial. It is also important to obtain evidence to support these conclusions. Detailed herbal textual research of traditional Chinese medicine would include medicinal properties and characteristics of the plants or drugs, their sources and distribution, cultivation techniques, processing methods, resistance, efficacy, and use in ethnic medicine, which can facilitate objective evaluation of the quality of the traditional Chinese medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine provides equal importance to tradition and innovation, thereby not considering inheritance to be imitation but innovation. Modern archaeology has contributed to the discovery of a variety of important medicine-related sites and relics. Many scholars have come to realize the importance of such cultural relics in terms of the history of medicine, pharmacology, and herbalism. To study ancient drug development, drugs and drug-related artifacts must be recovered from archaeological sites. Bencao archaeology is an important branch of archaeology that involves the development of research on herbs, including both herbalism and archaeology. In order to ensure the progress of Chinese Materia Medica research, researchers should keep pace with time, actively incorporate the achievements of archaeology, and even participate in archaeological research, to promote its development. The limitations of archaeology can be overcome by extensive literature research. Therefore, by including both indirect and direct historical evidence, simultaneous application of literature research and Bencao archaeology can be considered as dual evidence for herbalism research. The two components are complementary in promoting the preservation and development of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper details the development, methods used, and limitations of literature textual research. It is considered that the Bencao archaeology is the base for the development of textual literature research.

Establishment of a quality marker (Q-marker) system for Chinese herbal medicines using burdock as an example

BackgroundA quality marker (Q-marker) for Chinese materia medica (CMM, Zhongyao in Chinese) is a new concept proposed by the academician Changxiao Liu for the quality control of CMM. CMM refers to natural medicines used under the guidance of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM, Zhongyi in Chinese), and includes Chinese herbal medicines (Zhongyaocai in Chinese), decoction pieces of Chinese medicines (Yinpian in Chinese) and proprietary Chinese medicines (Zhongchengyao in Chinese). The quality of Chinese herbal medicines is a prerequisite for using the decoction pieces of Chinese medicines and proprietary Chinese medicines. Hypothesis/purposeWe believe that the Q-markers for Chinese herbal medicines refer to certain types of substances or characteristics that can represent the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. In a narrow sense, the Q-marker refers to the active components (marker components) or chemicals that can be transferred during the subsequent processing of the proprietary Chinese medicines. Broadly speaking, the Q-marker refers to the morphological, chemical, biological, and ecological characteristics and markers that impact the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. We study on a Q-marker system for Chinese Herbal Medicines using burdock as an example in the paper. MethodsBased on more than 20 years of research by our team, the present paper uses burdock as an example to discuss the establishment of a Q-marker system for Chinese herbal medicines. ResultsThe Q-marker system for burdock was established from the morphological, chemical and biological aspects of burdock. During cultivation, the ecological environment is an important factor that affects burdock quality and arctiin accumulation. ConclusionThe Q-markers for the quality control of Chinese herbal medicines are the basis for CMM. The concept and theory of Q-marker provide guidance and correction for colleagues involved in the healthy development of the CMM industry.

Promotion of quality standard of Chinese herbal medicine by the integrated and efficacy-oriented quality marker of Effect-constituent Index

BackgroundMultiple constituents have been applied currently as markers to control the quality of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). However, those constituents are isolated from each other, failed to present their contribution differences to the bioeffect of CHM. Besides, a CHM for different clinic uses is often controlled by the same quality marker (Q-marker), which cannot correlate its efficacies differentially. PurposeThe study aims to promote the quality standard of CHM by the integrated and efficacy-oriented Q-marker of Effect-constituent Index (ECI). MethodsWith Coptidis Rhizoma (C. Rhizoma) as a case study, the Q-marker of ECI based on the integration of bioeffect and active constituents was developed. According to the efficacies of C. Rhizoma, we investigated its antibacterial and antineoplastic effects by microcalorimetry and MTT assay, respectively. High performance liquid chromatography was performed to determine the active constituents of C. Rhizoma extract simultaneously. ECIS of inhibition on Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteriae) and ECIH of inhibition on HepG2 cells were established by multi-indicator synthetic evaluation method. The organoleptic evaluation scores of C. Rhizoma samples were given by Delphi method. ResultsThe correlation analysis showed that ECIS and ECIH were significantly correlated with the inhibiting effects of C. Rhizoma extract on the growth of S. dysenteriae (P < 0.01) and proliferation of HepG2 cells (P < 0.01), respectively. Moreover, ECI showed a good ability to distinguish and predict the bioeffect-based quality grade, whereas the organoleptic evaluation and chemical analysis failed to achieve it. Plus, some samples with lower ECIS showed higher ECIH and vice versa. ConclusionsThe Q-marker of ECI is useful to associate different pharmacologic effects of C. Rhizoma containing multiple active constituents, which is beneficial for the improvement of quality standard of the CHM in an integrated, convenient, and differentiated way.

A novel and effective mode-switching triple quadrupole mass spectrometric approach for simultaneous quantification of fifteen ginsenosides in Panax ginseng

BackgroundPanax ginseng (PG) is one of the most valuable and frequently used phytomedicine in Asia. In the current Chinese Pharmacopeia, only three ginsenosides, Rg1, Re and Rb1, were set as standard compounds for the quality evaluation of PG. However, only these three compounds could hardly reflect the quality and therapeutic efficacy of this traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). PurposeQuantification analysis of quality markers (Q-markers) in PG is meaningful for determining the quality of this herbal medicine. MethodBy combining the modes of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and single ion monitoring (SIM) of tripe quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQ-MS) through a mode-switching function, a novel, sensitive and effective LC-MS/MS method has been established to simultaneous quantify fifteen Q-markers in PG in one run time cycle. In order to comprehensively evaluate the quality of ten batches of PG, hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and the complete linkage method were conducted on the data of the contents of fifteen ginsenosides. ResultsThirteen Q-markers, including four pairs of isomers with the same product ions and approximately the same retention times, have been well-separated by MRM. Meanwhile, the other two Q-markers with no fragments have also been quantified by SIM. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a reversed-phase C18 column by stepwise gradient elution with a mobile phase of water (containing 0.1% formic acid, v/v) and acetonitrile. Good linearity was observed with the correlation coefficients (r2) greater than 0.99. The intra- and inter-day precisions as well as repeatability of all of the investigated Q-markers were all no more than 5.91%. The average recoveries varied from 83.06% to 116.42%, with relative standard deviation values (RSDs) less than 6.73%. The total contents of the fifteen ginsenosides in ten batches of PG were in the range of 15.54–24.03 mg/g. The results indicated that the growing region has a significant impact on the contents of ginsenosides in PG. ConclusionThe proposed approach could be readily utilized as a comprehensive approach for determining the consistency of the quality and therapeutic efficacy of PG, and it might be an example for the selection of Q-marker standards for the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

A quality marker study on salvianolic acids for injection

BackgroundThe quality of Chinese medicine (CM) has being an active and challenging research area for CM. Prof. Chang-Xiao Liu et al first proposed the concept of quality marker (Q-Marker) for the quality evaluation and control on CM. This article describe the exploratory studies of Q-Marker in salvianolic acids for injection (SAI) based on this new concept. PurposeThis study was designed to screen Q-Marker of SAI and establish its quality control method based on the concept of CM Q-Marker. MethodsBased on the concept of CM Q-Marker, the SAI was investigated for the identification of chemical components and their sources. The pharmacological effects on cerebral ischemia and reperfusion induced injury in rats were also investigated. Furthermore, the target cell extracts and pharmacokinetic studies were conducted to screen Q-Markers. Finally, the fingerprints and determination based on Q-Markers were established to assess the quality of SAI more effectively. ResultsOverall, 20 constituents in SAI were identified. It was found that salvianolic acid B (SA-B), rosmarinic acid (RA), lithospermic acid (LA), salvianolic acid D (SA-D) and salvianolic acid Y (SA-Y) are major chemical components of SAI. Based on chemical components identifications, analysis of their sources, target cell extracts and pharmacokinetic studies, four phenolic acids, namely SA-B, RA, LA and SA-D, were screened and determined as effective Q-Markers of SAI. ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the described method is a powerful approach for detecting Q-Markers, which can be used as control index for the quality assessment of CM.

Distinguish Crude and Sweated Chinese Herbal Medicine with Support Vector Machine and Random Forest Methods

“Sweating” is a traditional processing method of Chinese medicinal materials in place of production. Because this operation is time-consuming, “sweating” is often abandoned, which affects the quality of Chinese medicine. At present, there is no specific method for identification of crude and sweated herbs. In this research, we tried to explore a rapid and effective discrimination method, in order to provide a new means for the quality control of Chinese medicine. We collected 120 batches of data of crude and sweated Chinese medicinal material Dipsaci Radix by near infrared spectroscopy. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) were applied to construct discriminant models respectively. For comparison, principal component analysis (PCA)-mahalanobis distance (MD) discriminant was performed. Three models could well classify the test samples with the same error rate 3.33%. However the mean error rates were 1.73% for SVM, 1.13% for RF, and 9.18% for PCA-MD. Meanwhile, RF spent 1.06 s, the shortest time, in computation. Therefore, the performance of RF model is the best for discrimination of crude and sweated Dipsaci Radix.

Development of whole process quality control and management system of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces based on traditional Chinese medicine quality tree

The whole process quality control and management of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces is a system engineering, involving the base environment, seeds and seedlings, harvesting, processing and other multiple steps, so the accurate identification of factors in TCM production process that may induce the quality risk, as well as reasonable quality control measures are very important. At present, the concept of quality risk is mainly concentrated in the aspects of management and regulations, etc. There is no comprehensive analysis on possible risks in the quality control process of TCM decoction pieces, or analysis summary of effective quality control schemes. A whole process quality control and management system for TCM decoction pieces based on TCM quality tree was proposed in this study. This system effectively combined the process analysis method of TCM quality tree with the quality risk management, and can help managers to make real-time decisions while realizing the whole process quality control of TCM. By providing personalized web interface, this system can realize user-oriented information feedback, and was convenient for users to predict, evaluate and control the quality of TCM. In the application process, the whole process quality control and management system of the TCM decoction pieces can identify the related quality factors such as base environment, cultivation and pieces processing, extend and modify the existing scientific workflow according to their own production conditions, and provide different enterprises with their own quality systems, to achieve the personalized service. As a new quality management model, this paper can provide reference for improving the quality of Chinese medicine production and quality standardization.

Brief introduction to progress of national census of Chinese medicine resources (pilot)

Since the beginning of 2011, with the strong support of the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine has organized the pilot work on the census of traditional Chinese medicine resources (hereinafter referred to as the "pilot work"). At all levels of Chinese medicine management departments under the joint efforts of the pilot work has achieved initial results. For the fourth national comprehensive implementation of traditional Chinese medicine resources, the technical methods have been optimized, the working teams have been professionally trained, and the experiences are accumulated. All of these laid a solid foundation for the work. As of August 2017, through the "National Resources Survey Information Management System". The initial summary of the Chinese medicine resourcesdisplayed more than 200 million collected data, more than 500 million photos, and more than 20 million copies of dried specimens and other physical materials.Furthermore more than 40 species of new species were found by the participant workers participate in the relevant Chinese medicine resources survey. During the pilot work, a central platformhas initially formed, 28 provincial-level traditional Chinese medicine raw material quality monitoring technical service center, 66 county-level monitoring stations of Chinese medicine resources dynamic monitoring information and technical service system were established.The information monitoring services of 190 kinds of Chinese herbal medicine prices, circulation and planting area of six major categories of, Chinese herbal medicine quality, field management and other 10 categories of technical services were launched. In the 20 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), the construction of 28 Chinese herbal medicine seed breeding base were arranged, nearly 160 kinds of Chinese herbal medicine seed breeding production were carried out. And in Hainan and Sichuan province, two Chinese herbal medicine germplasm resources bases were established, preserve the germplasm resources collected in traditional Chinese medicine resources census work were preserved.

Effect and regulation of drying on quality of traditional Chinese medicine pills

The dry quality of traditional Chinese medicine pills is the hot spot of pills research, because their quality has a crucial effect on the efficacy and development of dosage forms. Through literature research and statistical analysis, we would review the current problems on the drying of traditional Chinese medicine pills in this paper, and surrounding the evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine pills, analyze the characteristics of common drying equipment and processes as well as their effect on quality of pills, discuss the problems in drying equipment and process as well as quality, and put forward the corresponding strategies, hoping to provide new ideas and new methods for the quality improvement of traditional Chinese medicine pills and quality standards.

Application of random forest algorithm in fingerprint of Chinese medicine: different brands of Xiasangju granules as example

To establish a random forest algorithm for identifying and classifying different brands of Xiasangju granules, and provide effective reference for identifying multi-index complex fingerprint. HPLC method was used to collect the fingerprint of 83 batches of Xiasangju granules from different manufacturers. The classification of Xiasangju granules samples based on chromatographic fingerprints was identified by chemometric methods including principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and random forest analysis (RF). The superiority of the above three chemometric methods was compared. The results showed that the fingerprints of 83 batches of Xiasangju granules were established in this study. PCA could only explicate 56.52% variance contribution rate and could not completely classify the samples; PLS-DA analysis was superior to PCA, explicating 63.43% variance contribution rate and could obtain certain separation; RF could well classify the samples into 3 types, and the predication accuracy of the proposed method was 96.5%. Therefore, The results indicate that RF combined with HPLC fingerprint could effectively construct traditional Chinese medicine quality control and analysis system.

Application of Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging to Detect Sulfur Dioxide Residual in the Fritillaria thunbergii Bulbus Treated by Sulfur Fumigation

Sulfur-fumigated Chinese medicine is a common issue in the process of Chinese medicines. Detection of sulfur dioxide (SO2) residual content in Fritillaria thunbergii Bulbus is important to evaluate the degree of sulfur fumigation and its harms. It helps to control the use of sulfur fumigation in Fritillaria thunbergii Bulbus. Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) was explored as a rapid, non-destructive, and accurate technique to detect SO2 residual contents in Fritillaria thunbergii Bulbus. An HSI system covering the spectral range of 874–1734 nm was used. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied to build calibration models for SO2 residual content detection. Successive projections algorithm (SPA), weighted regression coefficients (Bw), random frog (RF), and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were used to select optimal wavelengths. PLSR models using the full spectrum and the selected optimal wavelengths obtained good performance. The Bw-PLSR model was applied on a hyperspectral image to form a prediction map, and the results were satisfactory. The overall results in this study indicated that HSI could be used as a promising technique for on-line visualization and monitoring of SO2 residual content in Fritillaria thunbergii Bulbus. Detection and visualization of Chinese medicine quality by HSI provided a new rapid and visual method for Chinese medicine monitoring, showing great potential for real-world application.