海洋中药是中国传统中药的重要组成部分，目前文献对海洋中药内涵与外延的认识存在一定差异，这种差异导致对海洋中药的界定产生争议，阻碍了海洋中药的临床应用和进一步研发。本文通过分析文献中海洋中药的概念，讨论海洋中药的中药属性和海洋属性，总结了海洋中药区别于陆地中药的资源品种特点、药性特点、功效特点、成分特点以及生物活性特点，从理论基础、药效作用和药物来源3个方面探讨了海洋中药的内涵和外延，形成了海洋中药的狭义和广义概念，并根据这一概念和内涵，对目前海洋中药界定中争议较大的5种情况进行辨析，为海洋中药的界定和研究提供理论依据；同时，本文讨论和规范了海洋中药的英语翻译及其缩写，统一翻译为“Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine，MTCM”。

Marine traditional Chinese medicine(MTCM)is an important part of Chinese medicine(CM),there are some differences in understanding of the current literature and the extension of the connotation of marine medicine,which leads to the definition dispute of MTCM,hindering clinical application and further development of MTCM.In this study,we explored the concept of MTCM in literature,discussed the attributes of ocean marine CM,summed up the differences between the land CM and MTCM over variety characteristics,effect of drug composition characteristics and biological activity characteristics,and discussed the connotation and extension of MTCM from three aspects of theoretical basis and the effect and source of the drug,leading to the formation of the narrow and broad concept of MTCM.The five kinds of disputes in the definition of MTCM were discriminated according to the concept and connotation,which provided a theoretical basis for the definition and the research of MTCM.Moreover,we also defined the English translation and its abbreviation as“Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine(MTCM)”.

科学技术部国家高技术研究发展计划“863计划”项目（2013AA093001）：海洋传统药源生物资源挖掘整理研究，负责人：王长云；山东省人力资源和社会保障厅博士后创新项目（201102036）：基于“性-效-物质”三元理论的海洋中药复方有效组分配伍治疗慢性支气管炎的细胞分子机制研究，负责人：付先军；国家自然科学基金委面上项目（81473369）：基于“性-构”关系的中药成分寒热药性评价，负责人：付先军；教育部高等学校博士学科点专项科研基金项目（20123731120001）：基于方剂文献文本挖掘和关联网络的海洋中药用药经验模式研究，负责人：付先军。