Integration of the holistic concept of traditional medicine and the partial character of modern medicine - Applications of metabolomics in traditional Chinese prescription's research

Abstract

Nowadays, both domestic and international scientists in medical fields have been convinced that the integration of traditional medicine and modern medicine would not only benefit their own development, but also the progress of fighting against many kinds of complex diseases and drug discovery. This paper reviews the main procedures and methods of metabolomics, and proposes the concept of "trace element profiling". Furthermore, the application of metabolimics in the modernization research of traditional Chinese prescription is reviewed on the basis of traditional Chinese prescription and mechanism research, holistic evaluation of its efficacies on syndrome-disease models, safety study, and the interactions with intestinal microflora. The results and prospects of these applications indicate that metabolomics is one of the key tools in promoting the integration of traditional medicine and modern medicine.