2019年3月18日

 Traditional Chinese medicine is based on a different theoretical framework to western medical science. But the differences are far from irreconcilable. Recently, a team of researchers from Shanghai established an international standard for one of the most commonly used Chinese herbs. Our reporter Xu Mengqi has more.

 If you ever catch a cold, "Drink some banlangen", your Chinese colleague might say.

 XU MENGQI SHANGHAI "It's an herbal drink often used to prevent and treat colds. The name banlangen, means the root of isatis indigotica, an herb that, despite its longtime popularity in China, has only recently acquired international status."

 The recognition came from ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, which published a standard for the herb in February, four years and two months after Professor Wang Rui and her team proposed the idea.

 WANG RUI, PROFESSOR SHANGHAI UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE "The ISO standard specifies what plant banlangen derives from, what it looks like, how to test its specific composition, and the minimum requirements for that composition."

 Having researched banlangen for more than 10 years, Wang Rui says she was surefooted about the technical side of the project. The challenge to be overcome was the conceptual differences between Chinese and Western medicine.

 WANG RUI, PROFESSOR SHANGHAI UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE "In traditional Chinese medicinal theory, banlangen can remove heat and toxins, cool the blood and clear the throat. So, how could we explain this Chinese concept of 'toxins' in Western medical terms? We tried to explain this way: When bacteria or viruses enter the body, they produce residuals like metabolites. Those are the toxins."

 Wang Zhengtao, a leading figure in the standardization of traditional Chinese medicine, says that TCM has been proven to be clinically effective and safe, but it still lacks adequate explanations in terms of modern medical science.

 WANG ZHENGTAO, DIRECTOR SHANGHAI R&D CENTER FOR STANDARDIZATION OF CHINESE MEDICINES "Because traditional Chinese medicine comes from nature, its composition is extremely complex. One herb often contains hundreds, or even thousands of components. This is very different from chemical drugs. We are still deepening our understanding of traditional medicine, and there's still a lot of fundamental research work to do."

 Professor Wang Rui says 12 traditional Chinese medicinal materials have now been given an ISO standard. And that means these materials now have a license to be traded internationally. XMQ, CGTN, SH.