Major Medical Herb Database Launched in Central China

In a major step forward for Traditional Chinese Medicine, China has unveiled a comprehensive medical herb database in Hubei province. This initiative, marked by the launch of the pan-Shennongjia Herbs Multi-Omics Components Database (SHMC), was spearheaded by a team from Hubei Shizhen Laboratory and is recognized as the largest database of its kind in Central China.

At the launch event, Wang Qi, the director of Hubei Shizhen Laboratory, emphasized the importance of this database in shifting herbal studies from traditional, experience-based methods to a more scientific and innovative approach. The SHMC aims to create an accurate "digital portrait" of the region's herbal resources, bridging existing research gaps and contributing to the global progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Liu Yifei, who leads the SHMC development team, provided insights into the database’s extensive scope and function. With over 20 million entries, the SHMC incorporates information from classical texts, like Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and the Compendium of Materia Medica, along with current authoritative sources. It combines multi-omics data, which includes genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics, to systematically document commonly utilized medicinal species in Central China, ultimately laying the groundwork for the development of new TCM drugs and health products.