Yang Xiu-Wei
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2007 Mar;32(5):365-70.
Chinese material medica is the natural therapeutic agent used under the guidance of the theories of traditional Chinese medicine. Its sources are mainly derive from plants, some derive from animals and minerals, and a few derive from chemical drugs and biologic products. It was made up into a colossal complexed system because it's diversity of biological sources, ecological environments, chemical structures, processing methods, processes of metabolism and disposition in intra-body, biological activity and clinical use, and involved a lot of scientific problems. The elucidation of the effective and active constituents is a basic and scientific problem to clarify complexed system of Chinese material medica. Along with research progressing of processes of metabolism and disposition of Chinese material medica in intra-body and metabonomics, a new and rapid-developing technology, the discovery strategy for effective and active constituents of Chinese material medica based on the processes of metabolism and disposition would be made up, which will provide a new methodology and pathway to clarify of complexed system of Chinese material medica.
中药是在中医理论指导下应用的天然治疗药物。其来源主要是植物，部分来源于动物和矿物，少数来源于化学药物和生物制品。由于其生物来源、生态环境、化学结构、加工方法、体内代谢和处置过程、生物活性及临床应用的多样性，它构成了一个庞大而复杂的体系，涉及诸多科学问题。阐明有效和活性成分是阐明中药复杂体系的一个基础科学问题。随着中药体内代谢和处置过程以及代谢组学研究的进展，将形成一种新的快速发展的技术，即基于代谢和处置过程的中药有效和活性成分发现策略，这将为阐明中药复杂体系提供一种新的方法和途径。
