Self-Assembled Nanomaterials from a Holistic Perspective of Chinese Herbal Medicine: Accessibility and Efficacy in Anti-Osteoporosis.

The growing prevalence of osteoporosis has intensified the demand for bone regeneration strategies that are efficient, targeted, and safe. Traditional Chinese medicine herbs (TCMH) offer unique advantages in this area due to its multi-component, multi-target, and synergistic therapeutic mechanisms. Nevertheless, the poor solubility, limited bioavailability, and instability of many active compounds remain significant barriers to clinical application. Recent progress in self-assembling nanomaterials offers a promising solution to these challenges. During the full lifecycle of TCMH, including harvesting, processing, decoction, and in vivo metabolism, bioactive components such as polysaccharides, flavonoids, and saponins can spontaneously assemble into nanostructures via non-covalent interactions. Self-assembled systems enhance solubility, stability, and intestinal permeability, facilitate bone-targeted and controlled drug release, and ultimately improve therapeutic efficacy with reduced systemic toxicity. This review systematically elucidates the formation pathways, key active components, and structural characteristics of self-assembled nanomaterials during the processes of fresh TCMH, herbal processing, herbal decoction, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation, and in vivo disposition, from the holistic perspective of TCMH. It focuses on their roles in regulating bone metabolism and promoting osteogenesis. Additionally, the article highlights cutting-edge methods of integrating these nanostructures with advanced technologies such as 3D printing and AI-assisted design, emphasizing their potentially transformative value in achieving precise individualized osteoporosis treatment and advancing the modernization and mechanistic research of TCMH. Together, these insights not only provide new strategies for precise and personalized osteoporosis management but also chart a pathway toward the scientific modernization and global translation of TCMH.