Traditional Chinese Medicine Carbon Dots (TCM‐CDs): A Review of Characterization Methods, Pharmacological Activity and Bioimaging

Carbon dots (CDs), as an emerging zero‐dimensional carbon nanomaterial, have garnered significant attention due to their outstanding optical properties, low toxicity, and excellent biocompatibility. However, traditional chemical synthesis methods often involve toxic precursors, limiting their application in biomedical fields. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a natural, renewable resource rich in bioactive components, provides an ideal carbon source for the green synthesis of CDs. TCM‐CDs not only inherit the fundamental properties of carbon dots but may also retain part of the bioactivity‐related structural features or generate novel active nanostructures that exhibit pharmacological effects of the herbal medicine, enabling “imaging‐therapy integration”. This paper provides a systematic review of the latest research advances in TCM‐CDs, primarily covering preparation methods, key characterization techniques, and their applications in medical research and bioimaging. Finally, this paper summarizes current challenges (such as batch stability, unclear mechanisms of action, and insufficient in vivo behavior studies) and outlines future development directions, aiming to provide references for in‐depth research and clinical application of TCM‐CDs.