DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

As China modernizes, traditional Chinese medicine lost some of its popularity. Now, it’s making a comeback:

Steeped in thousands of years of history, culture, and practice, the ancient art of traditional Chinese medicine is based on a belief system that doesn’t immediately sit well with modern science. Its focus on bodily fluids and energies grates with today’s high-tech hospitals and treatments, and its emphasis on exotic ingredients and handfuls of toxic herbs contravenes the West’s increasing dependence on stringent clinical trials and endless lab research.

Far from dying out, however, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is experiencing something of a renaissance. Thanks to an injection of cash and resources from the Chinese government, and a revived interest in alternative healthcare in the West, demand for TCM treatments and products is the highest it has been in a century. According to China-based consultancy Anbound Information (安邦集团), the production value of the domestic TCM market has exceeded RMB 100 billion (USD 14.6 billion), and exports of TCM products and ingredients are worth as much as USD 100 million. In the UK, one of TCM’s largest overseas markets, demand is growing on average 20% a year, with annual sales amounting to some GBP 150 million (USD 276 million), according to data published in a British government report earlier this year.

This resurgence of interest in traditional Chinese medicine has provided a tremendous opportunity for practitioners and manufacturers in China. But as TCM’s reputation blossoms, so does demand for greater checks and controls. China’s TCM industry, largely unregulated and lacking central organization, faces the task of re-inventing and modernizing itself if it is to reap the rewards on offer.

Tags: General, East and West //