Abstract: The scientific world has witnessed multiple outstanding breakthroughs in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and natural product derived drugs during 2015-2020. The research by Prof. Tu Youyou on artemisinin gained her as one of the winners of Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, has also aroused profound impetus in the investigation of traditional Chinese medicine and natural product drugs. Mori ramulus alkaloids tablets and GV-971 capsules have been approved by National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for clinical application. Some of the important research findings were selected as "Top 10 major medical advances" in China, and a plenty of research articles were accepted by world top publications such as Nature, Science, New England Journal of Medicine, as well as Lancet, etc. The current review summarized and commented on the research highlights of traditional Chinese medicine and natural drugs published in world top journals from 2015 to 2020, including the major progresses in the sub-divided areas of chemistry, molecular pharmacognosy, pharmacology and toxicology, as well as pharmaceutics. This report aims to follow and review the leading research and hot spots in fields of traditional Chinese medicine and natural drugs, and to provide prospects and inspirations in the interdisciplinary areas based on our preliminary analyses.