International Research in Chinese Medicine

Objective To analyze the rapid identification methods for confusable Chinese medicines. Methods Six groups of frequently used clinical confusable Chinese medicines totaling 120 samples were selected from Shanghai Tongji Tang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. from January 2025 to January 2026 as the research objects. Three methods, namely traditional physical characteristics identification, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) rapid identification, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) rapid identification, were used for detection. The results of the 2025 edition of the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" were used as the gold standard to compare the identification accuracy rate, detection time, and operational convenience of the three methods. Results The total accuracy rate of near-infrared spectroscopy rapid identification was higher than that of physical characteristics identification and TLC rapid identification (P < 0.05); the average detection time of near-infrared spectroscopy was shorter than that of TLC rapid identification, and only slightly longer than that of physical characteristics identification; the identification accuracy rate of all six groups of confusable medicines by near-infrared spectroscopy was ≥ 95.00%, and its stability was the best. Conclusion The near-infrared spectroscopy rapid identification method has high accuracy, rapidity, and operational convenience, and can be used as the core method for on-site rapid screening of confusable Chinese medicines at the grassroots level. Combined with physical characteristics identification for preliminary screening, an efficient quality control system for Chinese medicines can be constructed, effectively reducing the risk of incorrect use of confusable medicines and ensuring the safety of clinical medication.

Confusable Chinese medicines; Rapid identification; Near-infrared spectroscopy; Thin-layer chromatography; Physical characteristics identification; Quality control of traditional Chinese medicine