Chinese herbal medicines contain a large amount of organic matter, which is susceptible to various microbial contamination during their growth and storage, resulting in bacteria content exceeding national health standards. For this reason, in the production process of traditional Chinese medicine, it is necessary to sterilize the raw materials or finished products to ensure the hygienic quality of the products. Radiation sterilization technology refers to the process of killing microorganisms in drugs by using gamma rays, high-energy electron beams generated by accelerators or X-rays converted into them. Compared with traditional pressure steam sterilization, ultraviolet and microwave sterilization, and chemical sterilization, radiation sterilization has the advantages of thorough sterilization, low energy consumption, no chemical residue, and no environmental pollution. Irradiation disinfection and sterilization is suitable for most Chinese patent medicines and some western medicines, especially for powder and Chinese patent medicines that are not resistant to high temperature and volatile ingredients.