骨质疏松是一种渐进性的代谢性疾病，中医认为肝脾肾的亏虚和血瘀均可诱发骨质疏松。其最主要病因是肾虚累及肝脾导致气血不足而血瘀，加上先天禀赋不足后天调养失宜致使筋脉失养骨枯髓减而致骨痿。本文详细地分析了中医对骨质疏松病因病机的认识，探索了中医药在治疗骨质疏松方面面临的机遇与挑战。中药的药食同源性和骨质疏松病程的长期性决定了中医药在治疗骨质疏松方面具有无可比拟的优势。而科学研究中医药，合理评价其安全性，是中医药发挥其临床治疗优势的关键。

Osteoporosis is a progressive metabolic disease. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), deficiency of the liver, spleen and kidney and blood stasis can induce osteoporosis. The main etiology was kidney deficiency which harmed the liver and spleen and cause qi-blood deficiency and blood stasis. The insufficiency of natural endowment and postnatal malnutrition caused poor nutrition of tendons and vessels, which induced debility of bone. This article discussed the etiology and pathogenesis of TCM understanding on osteoporosis in details. Opportunities and challenges of TCM in osteoporosis treatment were explored. The homology of Chinese medicine and food as well as the long-term of osteoporosis showed that TCM had incomparable superiority in osteoporosis treatment. While, the scientific research methods and reasonable evaluation of TCM safety were important to display its advantages in osteoporosis treatment.

国家自然科学基金委面上项目（81273995）：基于中药选择性Cathepsin K活性的抑制剂对骨质疏松的分子机制研究，负责人：张东伟；国家自然科学基金委面上项目（81274041）：基于对蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酯酶1B的调节作用的姜黄素抗糖尿病的分子机制研究，负责人：高思华；教育部和国家外专局高等学校学科创新引智计划资助项目（B07007），负责人：牛建昭；北京中医药大学创新团队资助项目（2011CXTD-07），负责人：陈家旭。