The company also plans to enter the US and Canadian markets over the next three years, because those countries have more Chinese communities and potential consumers than Europe.

Li Bogang President of Chengdu Diao Pharmaceutical Group Co

Li Junde, secretary-general of the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, says the development of chromatographic fingerprint analysis techniques in China and developed nations has allowed more people to understand the composition of TCM products.

Using this technique can help examiners ascertain the ingredients of certain batches of TCM by comparing the chromatographic fingerprint with the standard specimen of the medicine.

A TCM prescription normally involves more than 10 herbs, each having to be cooked, dried, smoked and/or crushed to release their nutrients.

"Most Western medicines are unitary chemical compounds. Their purity and content have a direct bearing on their safety and curative effect," says Li from the ATCMC.

"With TCMs, which are made of two or more ingredients, the curative effects of the medicine can never be attributed to one component."