[Investigation of supramolecular chemical mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine processing].

To analyze the research status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) processing and key scientific issues to be resolved by using characteristic of TCM biological supramolecules and reaction theories of 'Qi chromatography' to human being, and then put forward the solution countermeasures. Based on the previous explications of theories of the Chinese medicine with supramolecular chemistry as 'Qi chromatograpy', biological supramolecular chemistry theory was used to explain the root of the problem in TCM processing and form the countermeasures for supramolecular chemistry research in the processing of TCM decoction pieces. TCM is a huge complex biological supramolecular body, so the processing of TCM is in view of the processing of huge complex biological supramolecular body. In nature, it is a TCM pharmaceutical technology with chemical changes of the subject and object of biological supramolecular body with or without auxiliary materials, under the condition of high temperature and high humidity. Supramolecular chemistry was throughout the processing of TCM, so the use of supramolecular technology was appropriate in research. TCM decoction pieces were the product of subject and object molecular changes after supramolecular chemistry reaction, with changes in physical and chemical properties of the subject and object molecules, such as bound water overflow, chemical bond rupture, dehydration, carbonization, and reaction with auxiliary materials. Changes in drug property and drug efficacy after processing depended on the degree of subject and object "imprinting template" change, which can be measured by 'Qi chromatography' function of supermolecular imprinting template in human body. In this paper, the research ideas, methods, variety attribution, processing principle, quality standard and clinical application were analyzed to find out the sticking point of the problems, and form the countermeasures with supramolecular chemistry as the core. The processing of TCM is a chemical technology of biological supramolecular body based on the function of supermolecular 'imprinting template' (medical element) of human meridian-viscera, and its reaction products (decoction pieces) showed determinacy when used alone and compatibility when used together, which may constitute a compatible drug delivery system of TCM in clinical application. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.