With the rapid development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry, a large amount of waste is produced during the processing of traditional Chinese medicine, especially Chinese herb residues, which lead to severe resource waste and environmental pressure. Meanwhile, due to its advantages of high customizability, design flexibility, and material efficiency, fused deposition modeling 3D printing technology is gaining widespread adoption across various fields. However, commonly used printing materials are often limited by high brittleness, susceptibility to cracking and denting, and lack of functionality. Containing approximately 40% cellulose, Chinese herb residues can serve as a natural reinforcing phase to enhance the mechanical propert ies of printing materials, thus enabling high-value utilization of resources. This article provides a comprehensive review of the classification and material composition of Chinese herbal residues, as well as the transformation of their disposal methods from traditional to green and environmentally friendly approaches, highlights the advantages of new Chinese herbal medicine residue composite materials, the key points for performance optimization, the preparation process, and their application potential in the development of 3D printed products. This article summarize the current challenges and future development directions in this interdisciplinary field, aiming to provide theoretical insights for advancing the high-value utilization of waste and the development of novel green printing materials.

3D printing  /  Chinese herb residues  /  advanced composite material  /  high-value utilization  /  fused deposition modeling