What are traditional chinese patented medicines?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a practice of medicine rooted in more than 3,000 years of Chinese history and culture. Rather than synthesized pharmaceutical products, TCM uses natural ingredients derived from plants, animals, and minerals. These substances are used both in prescription remedies and in “patented” or manufactured medicines. Traditional remedies, which use unprocessed or crude ingredients mixed according to ancient formulas, are generally prescribed by a TCM practitioner and sold over the counter in traditional medicinal shops, pharmacies, clinics and supermarkets. Patented medicines use the same formulations as traditional remedies, but they are usually processed into pills, plasters and tonics, and packaged in mass quantities in a medicinal factory. Most patented medicines are manufactured in China, but today they are sold and exported to TCM markets all over the world.
