🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Data from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its affiliated hospitals indicate that from 1996 to 1998, the university received a total of 51 scientific and technological achievements awards (12 national-level, 13 provincial/municipal, 26 bureau-level). Among these, 6 were related to senior TCM physicians’ experience summaries (11.8%), 8 involved basic TCM research (15.7%), 9 focused on TCM therapeutic methods (17.6%), and 28 concerned clinical and experimental research on TCM prescriptions and drugs (54.9%). These achievements have demonstrated clear efficacy in treating tumors, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, and immune dysregulation. However, most of these achievements have been transformed into hospital-prepared formulations rather than commercial products.
Currently, the three affiliated hospitals of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine produce nearly 100 self-made preparations, some of which hold potential for pharmaceutical development. Experts emphasize that TCM must leverage its advantages by developing novel prescriptions for common and difficult diseases while accelerating the transformation of scientific achievements into marketable products to secure a foothold in the healthcare market. It is recommended to increase the scientific content of TCM research, apply modern scientific methods and standards, refer to internationally accepted norms for new drug development, and establish a modern TCM research and development system encompassing basic research, novel dosage forms, extraction techniques, quality standards, safety evaluation systems, and information systems. Increase financial investment, set up risk funds for market development, and create reward funds for researchers.