AI tools digitize traditional Chinese medicine production and diagnosis

A 180-million-yuan project in Tianjin is installing AI systems to monitor every stage of traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing and to generate patient reports from tongue and facial images. The initiative, led by a team under academician Zhang Boli, targets full traceability during herb decoction.

Robotic sensors now hold temperature at 102 C instead of relying on visual estimates that carried a 10 C margin of error.

Production upgrades Project documents state the tighter control can cut energy consumption by 15 percent while improving batch uniformity. The same systems log each step for regulatory and export documentation.

Diagnostic instruments At the March Tianjin Global Business Leaders Roundtable, an AI instrument scanned foreign visitors and produced constitution reports within seconds. The device records tongue patterns and facial features, then applies algorithms to identify body type and suggest remedies.

Wang Lei, chairwoman of Tianjin Pharmaceutical Da Ren Tang Group, said the technology supports adaptation of formulas to local climates and patient profiles when products move abroad.

Policy context Zhang noted that the 2026 government work report called for integrating traditional and Western approaches. He cited diabetes care, where Western drugs lower blood sugar and TCM herbs are used to limit later microvascular complications. Over the past 12 years, more than 500 Da Ren Tang products have entered 47 countries and regions as supplements or additives, according to Wang.