Gerhard Franz, chairman of the European Pharmacopoeia Herbal Medicine Committee, said at the “Future of Chinese Medicine” international summit in Hangzhou on the 29th that as of May 2016, 66 Chinese herbal medicines have entered the European Pharmacopoeia, and the future goal is to make Chinese medicine most common. At least 300 Chinese herbal medicines used were included in the European Pharmacopoeia.

It is understood that the European Pharmacopoeia is the only guideline for European drug quality testing. Based on the development momentum of Chinese medicine in Europe, the European Pharmacopoeia established a Chinese medicine committee in 2008 to regulate the sales and use of Chinese herbal medicines and proprietary Chinese medicines in Europe.

At present, Chinese medicines that have entered the European Pharmacopoeia include 66 species such as ginseng, tangerine peel, atractylodes rhizome, rhubarb, safflower, giant knotweed, and notoginseng, accounting for more than one-third of the 184 herbal medicines in the European Pharmacopoeia. Gerhard Franz explained that every Chinese herbal medicine entering the European Pharmacopoeia needs to undergo rigorous testing and verification. If one of the 37 member states of the European Pharmacopoeia questions a certain medicinal herb, it cannot successfully enter the code.

These 66 kinds of Chinese medicines will have European standards and standards in terms of safety, quality, and curative effect in the future. They will lay the foundation for the wider acceptance of Chinese medicine in foreign countries, and will also be the first step for Chinese medicines to open up the export channel.