China will make an effort to standardize 500 traditional Chinese
medicine remedies and procedures over the next five years.
The standardization work will cover remedies, procedures,
traditional medical terms and acupuncture standards, according to
the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(SATCM).
The lack of widely accepted standards has long been a hurdle for
traditional Chinese medicine in being recognized and used in other
countries.
The new standards will help improve the quality of traditional
medicines and make them more acceptable to other people, said Chen
Keji, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Without the standards, "foreigners will not accept Chinese
medicine," Chen said.
China currently has 3,000 traditional medical hospitals that
dispense medical treatment to nearly 234 million people each
year.
Last year, China exported a record US$830 million worth of
traditional medicines to 164 countries and regions.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2006)