Metabolomics and traditional Chinese medicine

• We describe advances in current metabolomics technologies.
• A holistic approach is crucial for studying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
• We review applications of metabolomics in systems-based TCM.
• We highlight the potential role of metabolomics for interpreting TCM syndromes.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has attracted increasing interest throughout the world because of its potential as complementary therapy of choice and a source for discovery of new drugs. However, the analytical characterization of TCM is still in its infancy due to its chemical nature of multi-component mixtures that often possess their own inherent holistic bioactivities. Metabolomics incorporates state-of-the-art approaches enabling systemic molecular characterization in complex samples and provides the option for an integrated view of the biochemistry in TCM. In this review, we present current metabolomics technologies in research on TCM related to chemical composition, bioactive components and efficacy. We also highlight the potential role of metabolomics technologies in evidence-based studies of TCM syndromes.