The central characteristic of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is to target both symptoms and causes of health problems through employing natural ingredients. Its efficacy and safety have been proven over thousands of years. Over the last 10 years of clinical practice of TCM in New Zealand, I have witnessed many people who have gained significant health and well-being improvement through the use of TCM remedies. This has reinforced the uniqueness of TCM in complementary healthcare systems, particularly in dealing with chronic health conditions, rehabilitation, health maintenance and fitness. I have seen that TCM herbal remedies can help people who had difficulty with conventional treatments due to major side effects, allergy, drug-resistance, lack of viable treatment or conditions with no clear medical diagnosis. Many of them have benefited greatly from using TCM remedies, putting their lives back on track again.
Unfortunately, there is existing fraudulence in using the name of TCM to sell herbal products containing prescribed medicines (often sold under-the-counter), particularly in the areas of weight loss and sexual enhancement. Distinctive features of those problematic products include poor labelling, non-GMP (good manufacturing practice) manufacturers and no clear instructions. Although these are individual events, they collectively paint a false picture of the real TCM industry. To eradicate the fake herbal products in the name of TCM in the New Zealand market, it is essential that high quality, genuine TCM herbal products are made readily available to the public. This will leave little room for those illegal trading operation and allow developing a healthy TCM herbal industry.
Evergreen Herb Intl. Ltd, a locally founded herb company, endeavours to promote healthy TCM herbal industry in New Zealand through developing and marketing quality herbal remedies. The ancient wisdom of TCM has been serving for thousands of years in the East and quickly gaining popularity in the West, we believe it belongs to the people of the whole world and every one deserves the benefits it offers.
- Shelly Sun
TCM Herb Specialist, Evergreen Herb Intl. Ltd.