RESUMEN
Sterilization operation, as the key operation unit that affects the quality of Chinese materia medica (CMM) and its preparations, directly affects the safety, effectiveness, quality, and stability of medicine. The classification, principle, application status, advantages, and existing problems and countermeasures of CMM and its preparations were systematically analyzed. There are many sterilization processes for CMM and its preparations, including dry heat sterilization, moist heat sterilization, radiation sterilization, epoxy ethane gas sterilization, and so on, but they all have many problems and greatly affect the quality of CMM and its preparations. A sterilization process should be chosen according to the nature of CMM and its preparations, which is suitable for the CMM or the dosage form, so as to accelerate the development and transformation of new sterilization technique of the CMM and its preparations.