RESUMEN
The drying technology is one important part in the preparation process of Chinese materia medica pills. However, the quality of dried CMM pills is directly determined by selection of drying method and optimization of process parameters. The paper summarized the principle and technical feature of drying methods for CMM pills which were widely used in industry, such as hot air box drying, vacuum drying, and microwave box drying. The application prospect of some new drying technology for CMM pill as well as equipment was introduced. Problems of limited selection of drying process, low degree intelligent drying equipment, and poor adaptability of equipment existed on drying process of CMM pills. The drying equipment of CMM pills will meet the requirement of GMP production and be more intelligent by in-depth studying on drying mechanism, fusion of new technology on precise sensing, and computer intelligent control technology.