Fig. 2: Systematic Nomenclature for NMMs.

The Systematic Nomenclature assigns each NMM a unique Systematic Name, Generic Name, and NMM ID. a Components of the Systematic Name. It consists of four components: I. Species origin, including species names in Latin; II. Medicinal part; III. Special description for initial preparations or specific characteristics; and IV. Processing method. b NMM types. Raw NMMs are initially prepared at the production sites to produce Agricultural NMMs. Agricultural NMMs are often further processed to produce Processed NMMs. c Examples of traditional Chinese NMMs in Systematic Nomenclature. Conventional names often lead to confusion by collectively referring to multiple NMMs that are not identical, due to missing or incorrect information about species origin, medicinal part, special description, and processing method. For example, the illustration shows three Agricultural NMMs from the Ephedra genus with the herbaceous stem as the medicinal part, conventionally named “Ephedrae Herba” (“麻黄”), leading to ambiguity. Similarly, nine Processed NMMs from the Curcuma genus, with different medicinal parts, initial preparations and processing methods, are collectively referred to by four names: “Wenyujin Rhizoma Concisum” (“片姜黄”), “Curcumae Rhizoma” (“莪术”), “Curcumae Radix” (“郁金”), and “Curcumae Longae Rhizoma” (“姜黄”). In contrast, our Systematic Nomenclature accurately assigns distinct Systematic Names, Generic Names, and NMM IDs to these twelve different Agricultural and Processed NMMs, eliminating ambiguity. The dashed lines connect the conventional names to the different NMMs they collectively represent.