With the gradual advancement of Chinese medicine research, ancient classical formulas (ACFs) with a long history of clinical practice have attracted the attention of researchers and become a new research hotspot. ACFs have been widely used for many years due to their unique efficacy against certain diseases. With the aid of modern technology, new biological activities are yet to be discovered to expand their development and application prospects. Recent evidence suggests that ACFs have great potential in the treatment of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) and critical illnesses (CIs).

NCDs, such as osteoporosis (OP) and chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN), are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, imposing a significant economic burden on families and society. Because of their unknown etiology, long course, slow progression, and tendency to relapse, current chemical drugs for NCDs have very limited efficacy and are often associated with multiple adverse effects. In contrast, ACFs are multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target, which can effectively address the complex etiology of NCDs. Having fewer side effects is also another advantage of ACFs in the treatment of NCDs. CIs are also serious diseases with high mortality rates affecting multiple systems and organs, typically such as sepsis, which has been one of the recent research focuses of clinical critical care. Given the severity and criticality of CIs, slow-acting herbal medicine has not received much attention in the treatment of CIs. However, in the cure of coronavirus disease 2019, ACFs, such as Xiao Chai Hu decoction and Ma Xing Shi Gan decoction, have shown distinctive efficacy, indicating the feasibility of classical formulas in treating CIs. Driven by modern technology, ACFs show increasing research promise and are expected to occupy an important position in the cure of NCDs and CIs.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality original research papers on ACFs for the treatment of OP, CGN, and sepsis. Studies related to the molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, metabolomics, pharmacodynamics (in vivo or in vitro), quality control, and clinical implications of ACFs are highly recommended. In addition, excellent review articles that fit the topic are also highly welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Pharmacodynamic study of ACFs in treating sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN
• Molecular mechanism of ACFs in reversing sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN
• The chemical basis of ACFs in anti-sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN
• Clinical research of ACFs in intervening sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN
• Metabolomic study of ACFs in regulating sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN
• Quality control of ACFs valid for sepsis, osteoporosis, or CGN