Research progress of biological processing of traditional Chinese medicine:fermentation and sprouting

AIM: This paper presents a comprehensive review focusing on biological processing of traditional Chinese medicine. It reviews emerging modern fermentation technologies, as well as the two major aspects of biological processing of traditional Chinese medicine, fermentation processing and sprouting processing, covering key areas including their processing techniques, changes in TCM active ingredients, alterations in pharmacodynamic effects, and quality evaluation methods. The purpose of this review is to summarize the progress of TCM bioprocessing technologies, identify shortcomings in existing research, clarify the internal connections between different research areas, and ultimately provide comprehensive and reliable references for the further development of TCM bioprocessing research and its clinical application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and CBM were systematically searched using keywords including "fermentation", "sprouting", "Arisaema cum Bile", and "Massa Medicata Fermentata". Relevant articles on TCM biological processing were screened and reviewed. RESULTS: Biological processing contributes significantly to optimizing TCM quality, potentiating efficacy and attenuating toxicity. Nevertheless, its industrialization is limited by unstable microbial strains and incomplete quality assessment systems, while systematic modern scientific elucidations are still lacking for its mechanisms and standardized application. CONCLUSION: Biological processing of traditional Chinese medicine has fully exerted the clinical value of TCM and provided an important guarantee for the application of TCM. Future research should clarify its scientific connotation using modern indicators, improve its theoretical system, promote scaled and standardized development, and thereby advance the modernization and internationalization of TCM.