Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
【China Times Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report】2011.07.19
Imported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) materials will face stricter regulation! The public has always favored TCM for health supplementation. The Department of Health will officially announce today that it will implement "border control" for the top ten most commonly imported TCM materials. For red dates, astragalus, angelica, and licorice, in addition to requiring a certificate of compliance from the manufacturing location, customs will conduct "batch sampling inspections" for heavy metals, pesticides, and mold standards. Meanwhile, six other TCM materials, including rehmannia, will undergo document review.
Given that the domestic TCM market is valued at NT$500 million annually, with 90% sourced from mainland China, the four priority-regulated items—red dates, astragalus, angelica, and licorice—account for NT$390 million in annual market value. Together with rehmannia, ligusticum, poria, white peony root, atractylodes, and eucommia bark, these top ten TCM materials make up 50% of the total TCM volume. After a three-month announcement period, the new inspection measures are expected to take effect on October 15 this year, just before the peak health supplementation season, which will significantly impact the TCM market.
Huang Linhuang, Chairman of the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy under the Department of Health, stated that while there are over 1,000 types of commonly used TCM materials in Taiwan, 212 are classified as dual-use for both medicine and food. Eighteen TCM materials, including chrysanthemum, dried dark plum, white fungus, mint, fox nut, dried lily bulbs, lotus seeds, goji berries, yam, longan meat, star anise, fennel, gynostemma, hawthorn, polygonatum, amomum, alpinia, and nutmeg, have been gradually included in food border inspections.
Huang Linhuang admitted that in past food inspections, chrysanthemum batches were almost always found to be toxic. Widely used TCM materials have long faced issues with pesticides, heavy metals, and mold contamination. The Department of Health deemed it necessary to tighten controls and recently convened discussions with 68 manufacturers and eight major TCM and import associations, deciding to prioritize border management for the top ten most commonly used TCM materials.
Source: http://health. chinatimes. com/ contents. aspx? cid=5,61& id=13790
Top 10 Imported Chinese Herbs Subject to Border Inspection
Imported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) materials will face stricter regulation! The public has always favored TCM for health supplementation. The Department of Health will officially announce today that it will implement "border control" for the top ten most commonly imported TCM materials. For red dates, astragalus, angelica, and licorice, in addition to requiring a certificate of compliance from the manufacturing location, customs will conduct "batch sampling inspections" for heavy metals, pesticides, and mold standards. Meanwhile, six other TCM materials, including rehmannia, will undergo document review.
Given that the domestic TCM market is valued at NT$500 million annually, with 90% sourced from mainland China, the four priority-regulated items—red dates, astragalus, angelica, and licorice—account for NT$390 million in annual market value. Together with rehmannia, ligusticum, poria, white peony root, atractylodes, and eucommia bark, these top ten TCM materials make up 50% of the total TCM volume. After a three-month announcement period, the new inspection measures are expected to take effect on October 15 this year, just before the peak health supplementation season, which will significantly impact the TCM market.
Huang Linhuang, Chairman of the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy under the Department of Health, stated that while there are over 1,000 types of commonly used TCM materials in Taiwan, 212 are classified as dual-use for both medicine and food. Eighteen TCM materials, including chrysanthemum, dried dark plum, white fungus, mint, fox nut, dried lily bulbs, lotus seeds, goji berries, yam, longan meat, star anise, fennel, gynostemma, hawthorn, polygonatum, amomum, alpinia, and nutmeg, have been gradually included in food border inspections.
Huang Linhuang admitted that in past food inspections, chrysanthemum batches were almost always found to be toxic. Widely used TCM materials have long faced issues with pesticides, heavy metals, and mold contamination. The Department of Health deemed it necessary to tighten controls and recently convened discussions with 68 manufacturers and eight major TCM and import associations, deciding to prioritize border management for the top ten most commonly used TCM materials.
Source: http://health. chinatimes. com/ contents. aspx? cid=5,61& id=13790