He adds that the composition of animal medicinal ingredients is even more complex than that of herbal ingredients, making research into them even more difficult. But the fact that their effective components have so far defied analysis in no way impugns the effectiveness of Chinese medicines or implies that they cannot be further advanced.
國內外醫藥界不斷有人對中藥經典「本草綱目」中的藥材進行研究，但因它的機轉太複雜，很難確切分析出有效成分。「一味人蔘，中外研究報告成千上百篇，療效的成分至今仍爭議不休」，衛生署中醫藥研究委員會主委張齊賢表示，動物藥成分比植物複雜得多，研究自然更加困難。