The quality of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is the key to the quality of Chinese medicine. Their processing is an important link in the production and quality formation of medicinal materials. The traditional processing methods have problems such as low productivity and difficulty in ensuring quality. Ultrasound technology, as a non-thermal processing method, is a valuable green processing technology.
In recent years, the application of ultrasound technology in the entire production and processing chain of Chinese medicinal materials has been continuously expanded and deepened: in the extraction of active ingredients, the cavitation effect produced by ultrasound can instantly destroy the cell structure of medicinal materials, allowing the solvent to fully contact the components inside the cells. For example, in the extraction of flavonoids from Ginkgo biloba leaves, the extraction efficiency with ultrasound assistance is more than 40% higher than that of traditional methods; in the cleaning process, the high-frequency vibration of ultrasound can penetrate the gaps of medicinal materials, removing attached mud, pesticide residues and microorganisms, ensuring the cleanliness of the medicinal materials; during the drying process, the mechanical effect of ultrasound accelerates the migration of moisture, combined with a vacuum environment, it can achieve rapid and low-temperature drying, effectively preserving heat-sensitive components; in the sterilization field, ultrasound in combination with specific media can damage the cell membrane of microorganisms, achieving non-thermal sterilization, laying a solid safety defense for subsequent storage and formulation production.
This paper focuses on the impact of ultrasound on the chemical structure and biological activity of bioactive compounds extracted from Chinese medicinal materials, and also deeply discusses the effects of different ultrasound conditions such as frequency, power, time and temperature on the chemical properties and processing effects of Chinese medicinal materials.
Ultrasound technology has shown great application potential in the production and processing of Chinese medicinal materials. In the future, through integration with technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, its application scenarios are expected to be further expanded and optimized, injecting strong impetus for the modernization development of Chinese medicine.
