Innovative development path of ethnomedicines: an overview of ethnomedicines in China

Abstract

In the long history of disease prevention and treatment, ancestral populations worldwide have gained knowledge and experiences in traditional medicines. For instance, ethnomedicines of Chinese ethnic minorities constitute an important part of traditional medicines. In our study, we firstly clarified the concept of ethnomedicines and the connotations of ethnopharmacology. The particularity of ethnomedicine research were then summed up, and the development profiles of the ethnomedicines of Chinese ethnic minorities were discussed by investigating the current status and existing problems. On this basis, we abstracted the innovative development path of ethnomedicines for the first time, which was found to follows:resource study ! standardized development research ! industrialization of the achievements and efforts for internationalization. We found that platform establishment and team training are keys to achieving innovative development. Hence, this study provided a basis for ethnomedicine development.

The Potential Mechanism of Wuwei Qingzhuo San against Hyperlipidemia Based on TCM Network Pharmacology and Validation Experiments in Hyperlipidemia Hamster

“…Among multiple distinct systems of medical traditions in China, TMM is one of four ethnomedicine systems in China and plays a critical role in people's health in Inner Mongolia, China. TMM unique basic principles have assumed that human beings depend on three life-sustaining humors, hii (wind), sar (bile),and badgan (phlegm) [23] and seven elements, food essence, blood, muscle, fat, bone, and marrow essence fluid for lives with eliminating phlegm and producing essence; meanwhile, health is defined as a balance between three humors and hot/cold [24]. TMM implies food eaten by a human is not divided into phlegm and essence in the gastrointestinal tract and liver, called "Eliminate Phlegm and Produce Essence" (Qing Zhuo Sheng Hua in Chinese), causing enrichment of waste in the blood produced by the liver, which is similar to dyslipidemia in modern medicine.…”

Investigation of China’s Yunnan pharmaceutical industry derived from two ethnomedicines, Yi medicine and Dai medicine

“…It should be known that Yunnan Baiyao Aerosol is only one of CPMs produced by Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd., and just in 2015, 100 million bottles of Yunnan Baiyao Aerosol were produced, its output value exceeded 1.5 billion RMB. In the same year, the overall sales revenue of Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd. already achieved 20.74 billion RMB [5] .…”

“…Except Tibetan Medicine in Shangri-La, which will be reported specially in another paper, Yunnan Province is the important pharmaceutical industrial base for Dai Medicine and Yi Medicine in China. For example, the most famous drug named as Yunnan Baiyao, a Yi medical formula with "amazing efficacy", is well known worldwide [5] .…”

Policies and Problems of Modernizing Ethnomedicine in China: A Focus on the Yi and Dai Traditional Medicines of Yunnan Province

“…Each ethnic minority, e.g., the Tibetans, Mongols, Uygurs, Dai, Yi, and Miao, has its own traditional medicine, and each differs slightly in theory and practice from TCM. Ethnomedicine thus refers to the use of traditional medicine guided by the medical theory and practical experience of each ethnic minority [5]. Since 2017, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Traditional Chinese Medicine has given ethnomedicine a relatively independent status although it is considered as part of TCM.…”

“…Yunnan Province is an important pharmaceutical industry center for Dai medicine and Yi medicine. For example, Yunnan Baiyao, a highly effective patent medicine has originated from the ancient Yi prescription [5]. Biomedicine and public health industry have been the major industries in Yunnan since 2016, and more than 2000 ethnic medicinal resources and more than 10,000 folk prescriptions are native to Yunnan [7].…”