School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Substances in Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulae and Innovative Drug Discovery, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Goji, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LoFE), Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials and Theranostic Technology, School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
The State Key Lab of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
School of Elderly Care Services and Management, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
University-Affiliated Hospital Joint Laboratory of NJUCM, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210000, China
† Kang Liu and Chun-Jie Bao contributed equally to this work.
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Graphical Abstract
This Perspective explains how chemistry serves as the bridge between food and medicine. We introduce a "5R" framework for molecular precision: the right molecule, in the right combination, at the right time, in the right site, and at the right concentration. Food supplies the body with a wide range of molecular building blocks for daily needs. Medicine provides targeted molecular regulation to restore balance when the system goes awry. Both operate through the same molecular language, and chemistry is the discipline that deciphers it. By identifying active components, optimizing their ratios, controlling where and when they act, and determining safe and effective doses, chemistry turns food and medicine homology from a tradition based on experience into a science based on evidence. The five branches of chemistry work together along a full pipeline from understanding molecules to making products at scale, turning the 5R principle into practical reality.
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Liu K, Bao C-J, Wang Y-L, et al. The new mission of the central science: Chemistry as the scientific foundation serving food and medicine homology. Food & Medicine Homology, 2026,https://doi.org/10.26599/FMH.2026.9420164
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