A novel approach to assessing quality issues and component annotation in TCM prescription: Insights from 100 common TCM products.

ABSTRACT: The quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions (TCMPs) is critical to clinical efficacy; however, evaluating their consistency and identifying sources of variability remain challenging. This study proposes an integrated strategy to assess the quality of 100 widely sold TCMPs. A "one-for-all" chromatographic method was employed to analyze 645 sample batches. This large-scale data collection enabled statistical evaluations, such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and similarity heatmap, to identify quality inconsistencies. The introduction of a TCM-specific mass spectrometry (MS) database allowed for rapid, automated annotation of chemicals across 100 prescriptions and facilitated the tracing of raw material sources. Results indicate that 19% of prescriptions exhibited c

SUBMITTER: Ou H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12634852 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature