Fermented Chinese medicine

Fermented Chinese medicine is the process of extracting natural medicine (traditional Chinese medicine) and using one or several types, one or several strains of selected intestinal probiotics as seedlings. It uses the methods of microbiology and bionics and the microbial grafting method to simulate the body's gastrointestinal environment and the digestion and dissolution process of Chinese medicine ingredients in the human body outside the body, and carries out molecular biological conversion of the obtained Chinese medicine ingredients. The large molecules of Chinese medicine are converted by microorganisms into small molecule water components that can be directly digested and absorbed by the human intestine, making the Chinese medicine a new type of medicine with rapid absorption and quantitative efficacy.

The essence of Chinese medicinal material fermentation and Chinese medicine processing is the biological transformation of Chinese medicinal materials using microbial strains. After fermentation, the efficacy of the medicine can be changed, the quality can be improved, the effect can be increased, and the toxicity can be reduced, thereby changing the medicinal value of the Chinese medicinal materials and generating new components. Compared with other Chinese medicine processing methods such as simmering, frying, calcining, roasting, refining, roasting, baking and roasting, the fermentation method is carried out under normal temperature and pressure conditions, with mild reaction conditions and simple operation. At the same time, the conversion reaction uses enzymes produced in the metabolic process of microorganisms. The enzymes can selectively modify the structure of the substrate, so that some other Chinese medicine processing methods can carry out reactions that cannot be achieved, thereby obtaining Chinese medicine ingredients with stronger specificity and more effective structure with the advantages of low cost and less environmental pollution.

Compared with other Chinese medicine preparation methods, the advantage of fermented Chinese medicine is that microorganisms can remove biological macromolecular residues and break down effective specific components that cannot be directly used by the body into small molecule water-active substances, so that the fermented Chinese medicine can be quickly digested and absorbed by the body, further improving the medicinal effect. In the experiment conducted by Wang Lin and others, four Chinese medicinal materials, namely, radish seeds, Linderae umbellatae, Forsythia suspensa, and honeysuckle tea, were used to ferment Ganoderma lucidum. The results showed that the soil moisture content of Ganoderma lucidum was significantly increased after fermentation, and the expectorant, cough-relieving and phlegm-reducing effects of wild Ganoderma lucidum liquid were also greatly improved compared with those before fermentation.

After fermentation, the toxic substances in Chinese medicinal materials are dissolved under the action of microorganisms, thereby reducing the toxic side effects of the drugs. Taking Coptis chinensis as an example, combined anthraquinone compounds (anthraquinone sennosides) are the main components that cause the laxative effect. In order to alleviate the side effects of Coptis chinensis on the digestive tract, it is necessary to use traditional Chinese medicine processing methods to dissolve or destroy combined anthraquinone compounds in clinical applications. Research by relevant experts and scholars has shown that when fermentation is used to prepare Coptis chinensis, the content of fused anthraquinone compounds is reduced after fermentation, while the content of mineral acid anthraquinones with anti-tumor effects is increased by 6 times, thereby changing the composition of anthraquinone components in Coptis chinensis and achieving the effect of reducing toxicity, improving quality and enhancing efficacy.

Chinese medicinal materials fermentation technology is based on the theory of Chinese medicinal materials and is a perfect integration of modern biotechnology. It has gradually become an important method for the research and development of new Chinese medicines. It provides a new method for improving Chinese medicinal materials preparations, expanding the scope of treatment, and developing new Chinese medicines. Therefore, Chinese medicinal materials fermentation technology will eventually have a broad development prospect.