Self-Assembly of Active Ingredients in Natural Traditional Chinese Medicine as the Controlled Drug Delivery and Targeted Treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history and is widely used to prevent and treat various diseases. With the development of modern technology, an increasing number of active ingredients—such as curcumin, berberine, and baicalin—have been identified and validated within TCM. Concurrently, the emergence of nanotechnology has led to the discovery of numerous nanomedicines based on the self-assembly of active ingredients from TCM. Polymer materials can enhance the bioavailability of these active compounds and reduce their toxic side effects. Moreover, compared to synthetic polymers, natural polymer materials offer advantages such as non-toxicity and high biosafety when used in drug delivery systems. However, natural polymers tend to be unstable and are easily influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and pH, which complicates quality control. Additionally, the cost of obtaining natural polymer materials remains high. This article summarizes and analyzes 232 pieces of the research studies on self-assembled polymer materials via noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions. The review primarily focuses on the active ingredients derived from TCM and provides a concise overview of future directions for polymer materials, including controlled drug delivery, targeted disease treatment, clinical translation, and green synthesis methods.