Korean Medicine Material Bank

The Korean Medicine Herb Bank has collected natural Korean medicinal herb extracts and herbal medicines produced by fermentation (bioconversion).  These resources are distributed to researchers of Korean medicines, businesses, and research institutes to revitalize the industry.


The natural products in the Korean Medicine Herb Bank are used to identify the active ingredients in a variety of Korean herbal medicines, as the standardization of use and active ingredients determines the quality of herbal medicines. In fact, standard herbal medicines must contain a certain amount of any given active ingredient. Additionally, existing herbal bio substances used in many herbal medicines and Korean medicines utilize the enzymes of microorganisms (bioconversion), and these substances are being highlighted for new uses in Korean medicines, Korean medicinal cosmetics products, and Korean herbal dietary supplements.



The Korean Medicine Herb Bank has about 1,518 types of  natural components isolated from 250 kinds of herbal medicines. It is the largest collection of indigenous Korean natural components used in Korean medicines. In addition to this, there are 6,854 types of bio substances used in herbal medicines that widen applicability of Korean medicines via fermentation (bioconversion).


To date, 1,490 types of natural ingredients and over 5,400 fermented Korean medicines are supplied to Korean institutes, research labs, businesses, and universities for research and product development, contributing largely to the development of the Korean Medicine industry and standardization of Korean Medicine.

The National Development Institute of Korean Medicine’s Korean Medicine Herb Bank has been recognized as supporting technology development, and last year a team of researchers from Sungkyunkwan University Medical School, the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and the Korean Medicine Herb Bank, released collaborative research results using natural components from the Korean Medicine Herb Bank. The research found that liquiritigenin, a main component in licorice, is effective in inducing the expression of the RNF1416 protein, which inhibits neuronal nerve cell apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease. and it was also discovered that other ingredients—autumn bellflower, bat dung, and tongue fern—have heightened anti-inflammatory effects when fermented (bioconversion). For three years from 2016 to 2018, this research paper was recognized by the Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry with the Outstanding Paper Presentation Award. Similarly, last year a paper demonstrating the latent vasculoprotective effects of fermented (bioconversion) mume fruit extract in cases of blood diseases received the Outstanding Paper Award and the Technology Award from the Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry for its contributions to applied biological chemistry technology. Other developments, like Korean medicines that have positive effective qualities on blood clots and menopause, have been successfully transferred to NovMetaPharma pharmaceutical company.

The natural substances from the Korean Medicine Herb Bank can be acquired for fee or at no fee. In the case of fee-based sales, a fixed amount of the actual expenses is exchanged for the substances. No cost sale supplies are provided on the condition that the recipient agrees to collaborate and industrialize in the future. Additionally, if a large volume is required for industrialization purposes, support will be provided for the production, analysis, and standardization of ingredients. You can contact us via the National Development Institute of Korean Medicine website (www.nikom.or.kr), where you can also find the application and information on the approval process.