The market

TCM has a long history of use of more than 4,000 years. Discovery of medicinal materials in ancient times was closely related to the life and the labour of people and their natural conditions of living. People found that many natural materials could be used to treat diseases, and great experience in this field has gradually been accumulated. The Chinese Materia Medica is one of the best documented and most extensive sources, as well as one that enjoys the most continued use, containing references to more than 7,000 species of medicinal plants.

The constitution of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that modern and traditional medicines should be developed simultaneously. Therefore since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, TCM has developed steadily. By the end of 1995, there were 2511 TCM hospitals with a total of 276,000 beds. Most of the general hospitals have a TCM department. There are 940 factories and plants for the manufacture of herbal medicines. The total sales volume of traditional herbal medicines in 1995 was 15 billion Yuan, an increase of 123% compared to 1990. From 1978 to 1993, sales of patent herbal medicines and raw plant materials increased by 10.8% and 2.3%, respectively.

The 1998 edition of The Chinese Pharmacopoeia included 784 articles on TCM and 509 articles on Chinese patent medicines. The monographs describe the source or the substances used, prescriptions, methods of preparation, identification, examination, extraction, effects and main indications as well as methods of use, dosage and precautions.