On the Two Sessions | Lei Jufang: Establishing a Tibetan Medicine Resource Conservation Zone Is Imperative

　　Tibetan medicine is an important branch of traditional medicine. Moreover, Tibetan medicine has developed a comprehensive and unique medical theory covering areas such as physiology, pathology, anatomy, and pharmacology. It demonstrates remarkable efficacy in treating common and frequently occurring diseases and even exhibits certain leadership and originality in some specialized fields.

　　In the past decade or so, Tibetan medicine has also developed very rapidly. However, it is facing several pressing issues that urgently require attention and resolution. On March 2, at the exchange meeting on the “Proposal for Establishing a Tibetan Medicinal Herb Resource Conservation Zone,” Chen Shilin, Director of the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, specifically emphasized the great significance of establishing such a conservation zone for Tibetan medicinal herbs. According to him, approximately 20% of medicinal plants worldwide are currently endangered or even extinct due to the lack of adequate protection, triggering a series of cascading effects. “After each plant species goes extinct, the 10 to 20 plant species that coexist with and are symbiotically linked to it will also follow suit and become extinct,” Chen Shilin pointed out. Therefore, he stated that most of China’s Tibetan medicinal resources today still come from wild sources, and if these resources are not protected, the consequences could be extremely severe.

　　Against this backdrop, Lei Jufang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairperson of Tibet Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Co., Ltd., has put forward the "Proposal on Establishing a Tibetan Medicine Resource Conservation Zone." In her proposal, Lei Jufang pointed out that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of China's regions with the richest biodiversity. Surveys show that Tibet boasts 2,436 Tibetan medicinal resources, including 2,172 plant species, 214 animal species, and 50 mineral species. At the same time, however, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is also one of China's most ecologically fragile regions. It serves as a vital corridor along the Belt and Road Initiative, connecting Central Asia and facing South Asia, and plays an important role in the nation's implementation of the Belt and Road strategy. Therefore, she believes that establishing a Tibetan Medicine Resource Conservation Zone is imperative—from the perspectives of protecting medicinal resources, safeguarding the natural environment, promoting cultural and economic development, and even from the standpoint of international exchange.

　　In response, she proposed establishing a Tibetan medicinal resource conservation zone centered on Tibet, including it in the national “13th Five-Year Plan” major project database for the protection and development of Chinese medicinal materials, and implementing it through the following specific measures.

　　First, we must carry out the conservation project for wild Tibetan medicinal resources. We will establish a germplasm resource bank and a gene bank for Tibetan medicinal plants, preserving seeds, tissues and organs, DNA, as well as other organs or tissues of endangered or endemic Tibetan medicinal resources. On this basis, we will conduct research on germplasm resources, wild cultivation, semi-wild cultivation, conversion of wild species into cultivated ones, domestication, introduction of species from other regions, and development of substitutes for rare and endangered Tibetan medicinal resources.

　　Second, the project to establish high-quality Tibetan medicinal herb production bases. Leveraging modern science, technology, and methods, and with the goals of Tibetan herb cultivation, seedling propagation, and raw herb conservation, we will build model Tibetan herb cultivation bases characterized by “large-scale cultivation, standardized production, branded products, and industrialized management.”

　　Third, we must carry out the Tibetan medicine cultural preservation project. By establishing an exhibition center, we will restore and recreate the scene of Tibetan medicine teaching and research during the era of Yutok Yundan Gombu.

　　Fourth, we encourage the Tibetan Medicine Innovation (Center) Project, which includes the Tibetan Medicinal Herb Seedling Breeding Laboratory, the Tibetan Medicinal Herb Cultivation Research Laboratory, and the Tibetan Medicinal Product Development Research Laboratory, among others.

　　Regarding this proposal, Miao Jianhua, Director of the Guangxi Medicinal Plant Garden, also expressed his agreement. He stated that establishing a Tibetan medicine resource conservation area holds five major values: scientific value, cultural value, ecological value, economic value, and added-value potential. It is reported that, in addition to this proposal, Lei Jufang has also brought forward six other proposals, namely: “A Proposal to Revise the Dosage and Administration Standards for Chinese Medicinal Materials Defined as Toxic in the National Pharmacopoeia, So as to Better Leverage the Advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine”; “A Proposal to Revise the Dosage and Administration Standards for Chinese Medicinal Materials Defined as Toxic in the National Pharmacopoeia, So as to Better Leverage the Advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine”; “A Proposal to Pay Attention to Reflecting the Role of Ethnic Chinese Medicines in Clinical Pathways”; “A Proposal to Scientifically Expand the Catalog of Foods and Medicines That Are Both Edible and Medicinal, Thus Enabling the Health Wisdom of Chinese Medicine to Benefit the General Public”; “A Proposal to Promote Innovation and Improve the Evaluation System for TCM Research, and to Abolish the Practice of Eliminating Products Based on Volume-Based Procurement”; and “A Proposal to Vigorously Strengthen the Development of Quality Standards for Tibetan Medicine.”

　　Reporting Media: China County Health

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