Objective This study aims to systematically analyze the intellectual property landscape of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) globally, with a focus on comparing the patent layout characteristics and competitive dynamics in five key countries: China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Germany. The goal is to provide strategic references for promoting the high-quality development and internationalization of China's TCM industry. Methods Leveraging the Patyee database, this research retrieved and obtained TCM-related patent data globally and from the aforementioned five countries. Employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods, an in-depth examination was conducted from multiple dimensions, including patent application trends, geographical distribution, applicant types, core technological topics, and international layout strategies. Results The research findings indicate that despite a vast number of domestic TCM patent applications (approximately 360 000), the proportion of international applications filed via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is relatively low (only 1.37%), revealing a significant deficiency in overseas layout. Regarding the distribution of technological topics, patents related to TCM quality control and standardization technologies are relatively scarce globally (including in China), leaving a gap in meeting the high standards of quality controllability required for modern industrialization and internationalization. In terms of applicant types, 44% of TCM patents in China are held by individuals, while enterprises account for only 34%, reflecting a pattern of individual-led inheritance with enterprise-driven R&D yet to be enhanced. In contrast, TCM-related patent activities in the United States, Japan, and Germany are predominantly driven by multinational pharmaceutical companies or consumer goods giants with complete industrial chains. Conclusion To achieve high-quality internationalization of TCM intellectual property, China urgently needs to establish a systematic overseas patent layout strategy, forming a patent protection system covering the entire industrial chain of R&D, quality control, production, and marketing. The core task is to transform domestic technological advantages into internationally recognized technical standards and to promote the transformation of TCM from a traditional empirical model to a modern, evidence-based innovation paradigm by strengthening collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research, and users.

traditional Chinese medicine  /  intellectual property  /  internationalization  /  patent analysis  /  visualization