Traditional Chinese medicine’s image sinks lower as the misbehavior of some pharmaceutical companies erode public confidence and national pride in the ancient healing tradition.
According to the State Food and Drug Administration, law enforcers punished a dozen companies in Anhui province, one of the biggest herbal producers in China, for using chemical materials to dye the traditional remedies and increase their weight. These additives could cause severe damage to the respiratory tract, kidney and liver, experts said.
“To reduce costs, some producers add chemical materials and western drugs with proven efficacy to win the patients’ trust. Naturally, they are producing and selling fakes, ” said Song Ruilin, a medical professor from the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
Since western medicine was introduced to China in the early 20th century, traditional Chinese medicine has seen a steady decline in popularity. Nowadays, most patients make western medication their first choice, while few TCM-based clinical departments exist in China’s major hospitals.
Medical students feel the same way. In a country where western medicine has become a dominant force, few students want to be trained for a job in traditional Chinese medicine, partly because of the employment pressure, but also because of the demanding skills that must be honed through years of clinical experience.
Despite its alleged ability to identify and wipe out the root cause of a certain disease, many of TCM’s assumptions, including the model of the body and the concept of disease, are not supported by modern evidence-based medicine, which leads to skepticism. This mistrust of the foundations of TCM has flared and subsided over recent decades.
Admittedly, traditional Chinese medicines still have a big purchase power these days. Many people are learning the art of ancient medicine as they believe it comes in handy for daily healthcare - herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, qigong, and dietary therapy all have health benefits.
Some critics argue that the greedy producers have worsened the already fragile image of traditional Chinese medicine and even worse, turned the nationwide attempts to bolster confidence in the market on its head.
The news also shifted social attention to the development of traditional medicine in China.
User 钱加菲 wrote: “The news may help explain why I don’t use the traditional Chinese medicine, though I really love it.”
User 云润丘 wrote: “Western medicine is based on strict chemical experiments and thus grows fast. The doctrines of Chinese medicine are rooted in the ancient text Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It talks about yin, yang and the five phases. People today have screwed it up and created a mix of Chinese and western medicine.”
“Do not boycott traditional Chinese medicine. The fact that it helped our ancestors grow and thrive in the past millenniums proves its worth. As western medicine came to China, coupled with the shock brought by western ideas and culture, Chinese medicine took a thrashing. The top agenda of the so-called national rejuvenation is cultural revival. A classical example of Chinese culture, Chinese medicine, deserves our careful support. We have to make it an advantage for the country and its people.” said user Beaugo.
By Xu Xinlei
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