Committee Member Lei Jufang: The catalog for the filing system of health food will include medicinal herbs that are also food sources.

　　Author: Lei Jufang

　　The “medicine and food share the same origin” culture is an important component of the outstanding traditional culture of the Chinese nation. Throughout history, renowned physicians and health experts have advocated that “dietary therapy is better than medicinal treatment” and “nutritional supplementation is superior to medicinal supplementation.” They have championed dietary therapy using medicinal foods—gentle approaches to balance and nourish the body—and in practice have developed hundreds of thousands of dietary prescriptions and nutritional formulas. Many Chinese medicinal herbs classified as “medicine and food share the same origin” serve both as prescription ingredients and as everyday foods. By adopting “dietary therapy,” one can not only savor delicious cuisine but also nourish the body, promote health, prevent illness, and treat disease—all highlighting the unique advantages of the “medicine and food share the same origin” approach in traditional Chinese medicine’s health preservation and wellness practices, which complement the strengths of modern Western health-care philosophies. Lei Jufang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairwoman of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine, has proposed adding medicinal herbs that embody the “medicine and food share the same origin” concept to the catalog of registered health foods. The following is her proposal.

　　From June 1, 1996, to the end of 2015, among the health food products approved in China, a significant proportion—42.93%, 46.55%, and 35.79% respectively—were made by appropriately adding auxiliary ingredients to single varieties of “medicinal-food homology” herbs. For example, propolis, grape seed extract, and ginkgo leaf extract accounted for these proportions. From 2016 to 2015, over the course of the past decade, China registered a total of 6,308 health food products. The top 10 herbs most commonly used as raw materials in these products were goji berries, ganoderma lucidum, American ginseng, astragalus membranaceus, propolis, panax ginseng, kudzu root, poria cocos, epimedium, and rhodiola rosea. These figures demonstrate that “medicinal-food homology” herbs possess advantages in terms of safety and health-promoting functions, and they are irreplaceable as raw materials for health foods.

　　Currently, the state is strongly supporting the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In February 2016, the State Council issued the "Outline of the Development Strategy for TCM (2016-2030)," encouraging TCM institutions to fully leverage modern scientific and technological advances—such as biotechnology, bionics, and intelligent technologies—to develop a range of health foods, health products, and health-care devices. In October 2016, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council jointly released the "Healthy China 2030" Outline, which sets forth the goal that by 2030, TCM will fully play its leading role in preventing diseases before they occur, its synergistic role in treating major illnesses, and its pivotal role in disease rehabilitation. In December 2016, the National People's Congress promulgated the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Traditional Chinese Medicine," clearly defining the state’s direction for developing TCM-based health and wellness services. At the same time, the law relaxed the requirements for both applying for drug approval numbers and for medical institutions to prepare and use “compound Chinese medicinal preparations derived from classic ancient prescriptions.” The registration requirements for health foods should also be referenced and implemented accordingly.

　　The introduction of the aforementioned policy recommendations further promotes the important role that “medicinal foods”—herbs with both medicinal and culinary uses—play in people’s health care. Relevant practitioners are eagerly anticipating that the registration and filing system for health products will bring about new changes and opportunities for the industry’s development.

　　Against this backdrop, on July 1, 2016, the "Administrative Measures for the Registration and Filing of Health Food Products" were officially implemented. This reform adjusted the management model for bringing health food products to market—from the previous single-registration system to a combined registration and filing approach. The measures have streamlined the approval process, shortened the approval cycle, and reduced the cost of application submissions, thereby fostering the development of the greater health industry.

　　On January 12, 2017, the National Medical Products Administration, together with the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, formulated and officially released the "Catalogue of Raw Materials for Health Food (I)" and the "Catalogue of Health Functions Permitted for Health Food Claims (I)." These catalogues will take effect officially on May 1, 2017.

　　We found that the current catalog of health food registration under the filing system features a limited range of ingredients and an overly narrow scope of application. In the "Catalog of Health Food Ingredients (I)," the primary entries are nutritional supplement ingredients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Similarly, in the "Catalog of Health Functions Permitted for Health Food Claims (I)," only health functions related to vitamin and mineral supplementation are currently listed. The ingredients registered in these catalogs are predominantly concentrated on nutritional supplements, vitamins, and minerals—akin to the health-care practices in Western countries, which focus on replenishing the body with vitamins and minerals. However, medicinal herbs embodying the precious essence of traditional Chinese health preservation—those with the principle of "food and medicine sharing the same origin"—are conspicuously absent from this catalog. The existing catalog is not conducive to transforming Chinese medicines, which boast resource advantages and unique health benefits, into health products that effectively meet the public’s health needs. Moreover, it will likely lead to severe product homogenization in the future health-food market, making it difficult to ensure product quality and hindering the healthy development of the industry.

　　In light of this, we believe that “medicinal and food substances with the same origin” have undergone long-term consumption and scientific evaluation, demonstrating that they meet the requirements for health-food registration in terms of safety and usage guidelines. It is urgently necessary to add these “medicinal and food substances with the same origin” to the relevant catalog, so as to fully harness the important role of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing diseases before they occur, intervening and adjusting health conditions, and promoting the health of the Chinese nation.

　　Reporting Media: China Pharmaceutical News

　　Report link: http://www.cntcm.com.cn/2017-03/10/content_27477.htm