🇨🇳 Chinese traditional medicine gains popularity at home and abroad

Some scientists in the West have long disputed the therapeutic value of traditional Chinese medicine, but it seems the ancient craft is gaining popularity at home and abroad.

It's even been hailed by Xi Jinping's government as "the gem of Chinese science".

Al Jazeera's Rob McBride reports from China's biggest traditional medicine market in the city of Bozhou.

[kimoykalinago]

The reason most of the tigers, elephants, and rhinos are almost extinct

[peterwang]

More than 900 Chinese traditional medicine ingredients were patented by international drug companies already.

[mikenie]

Do some investigation before your guys drawed the biased conclusion on chinese medicine

[grass]

Animal: *has balanced population*

Traditional Chinese medicine: allow me to introduce myself

[garyharty]

I have just sprained my wrist - western medicine says 2 to 10 weeks to heal and use RICE - me I use TCM a combination of Tieh Ta Yao Gin and Dit Dat Jow massage and stretching with heat pain experienced at 1st but after now only 2 days I have 80% full movement in my wrist- required to apply the medicine at least 6 to 7 times a day and almost healed - I have been using TCM for over 15yrs and I am not an Asian I use TCM for almost all of any medical problems

[mikeneidlinger]

I practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. Diet, Herbs, Qigong, Taiji. I used to practice Silat and Escrima and still enjoy "playing" sticks, except now I go with Taiji Style Flow.

[OffendingTheOffendable]

Yeah the head licking really helped my covid symptoms

[rabbitazteca]

China's plant life is enormously rich. Some 31, 000 plant species are native to China, representing nearly one-eighth of the world's total plant species, including thousands found nowhere else on Earth. By comparison, the United States and Canada combined contain about 20, 000 native plant species.

China is the only country on Earth where there are unbroken connections among tropical, subtropical, temperate, and boreal forests.

This unbroken connection has led to the formation of rich plant associations rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Many genera of plants which are known only from fossil records in North America and Europe are represented in China by living members. China also has the most diverse flora of any country in the North Temperate zone.

Similarities between the plants of China and North America

Mainland China and the continental United States share a common latitude and similar-sized land areas. The climates in much of the two regions are also similar, especially in the eastern halves. Many plant species that were once widespread throughout the entire northern hemisphere were wiped out by glaciation in North America but survived in China. Nearly 120 genera in 60 families of plants have disjunct populations in eastern Asia and temperate North America, relicts of the once widespread flora.

Knowledge of the Chinese flora is essential to understand floristic composition and interpret the fossil records of Europe, North America, and temperate Asia.

Many genera (e.g., Ginkgo, Metasequoia, Pseudolarix, Cercidiphyllum) which are known only from fossil records in North America and Europe, are extant in China. Metasequoia is one of the best known examples of taxa that were once widespread but now have very limited distributions. This genus was first known only from fossil remains and was thought to be Sequoia. In 1948, soon after botanists recognized it as a new genus (Metasequoia), a stand of living trees was discovered in central China. This genus, which once covered Asia, Europe, and North America, is now represented in the wild by only about 5, 000 individuals in China. Cultivated trees outside of China have been grown from seeds sent to the West in 1947, including some given to and flourishing at the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. They are elegant reminders of the past shared by the floras of Asia, Europe, and North America.

The use of plants by the Chinese

Throughout their centuries-old tradition, the Chinese discovered and adapted native plant resources for use as food, spices, and medicine. Several thousand species of Chinese plants are now cultivated throughout the world, including short-grain rice, tea, soybeans, oranges, cucumber, lemons, peaches, apricots, ginger, anise, and ginseng. Hundreds of Chinese species (e.g., rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias, viburnums, gardenias, jasmines, forsythias and primroses) are cultivated as ornamentals worldwide. The Flora of China will provide a ready means of understanding, locating, and using these plants.

Nearly 5, 000 species of plants are used for medicine in China today, a fact that is of increasing interest to western medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies. Two examples: first, Trichosanthes kirilowii, a member of the gourd family found only in China, is being studied by medical researchers for its strong activity against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Second, the Chinese populations of Artemisia annua, which is a member of the sunflower family, show great promise against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Some 250 million people around the world contract malaria each year. Only the drug derived from Artemisia annua appears to be effective against all strains of the malaria parasite.

[SwtT-MeMe]

A lot of “ancient” treatments actually work and now the generation who knew the remedies are almost all gone-I hope we were all listening

[roshlouis]

This is quite common in the Asian countries. India has Ayurvedic medicines which is all natural stuffs. Buddhists high on the Himalayas mountains of Nepal habe unique plant based medicines. However, their effectiveness is not proven.

[RepampGhana]

Good luck for this video watching from Ghana 🇬🇭

[carlyang]

feel a little bit awkward and assuring to hear the dialect that I speak. I happened to come from that city in mainland China. it's called Bozhou city. the market is just two hundred meters away from my home. and TCM culture is sofisticated but these medicine do have effect.

[victarchaudhuri]

Hi, I am from India. My son diagnosed with SSPE disease and there is no treatment for this in the world. Can you help me out. If any traditional treatment will help him. His age is 6 Year and I only have him . if any information please share.

[ritadoucet-canada]

Quinoa a growing trend says its health benefits are a super food, yet it only equates the same health value as a potato. Time for people to research, it looks like a growing trend where advertising is duping society.

[seigeengine]

Wow, imagine that... people involved in the business of Chinese medicine aren't concerned about it's potential negative health effects. Who would have guessed?

[billiejean]

Eating the flesh of animals is bad Karma..or if you prefer this saying..you will reap what you sow and should you choose to sow death, then death it will be that you reap! Awake Children of Light! Be no longer in disguise. Wipe the sleep from your eyes and show the world your pure heart. Peace be with yo.

[raidaiwik]

in india also, there is ancient medicine system called ayurveda and its popularity is rising nowadays

[AnhTuPhucDerrickHoangCanada]

china is known for medicine not disrespect that

[marieism]

TCM cured my acid reflux. i have really bad reflux for 2 years. I tried pharmaceutical drugs but those are not effective for me

[Maurazio]

Well, I hope chinese universities buy every single thing in that market and conduct thorough testing. Of course I doubt there's anything really toxic among that stuff, but continued use of certain stuff over years... who knows.