The department has focused on the discovery and evaluation of the anti-viral, anti-cancer, and anti-complementary natural products. These researches have been supported by multiple grants from State Key Program by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and National Natural Science Foundation of China. The study on “Species systematization and quality evaluation of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines” (in collaboration with China Pharmaceutical University) was awarded the first prize of National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology. The study on “The Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Kadsura Medicinal Plants” was awarded the first prize of Natural Sciences from the Ministry of Education in 2006.