Solving modern-day ailments
According to Sheldon Li, the chairman of ActiveHerb, one of the largest providers of TCM products in the U.S., their sales numbers reflect some of the biggest health concerns in modern society.
"You can tell from our sales numbers that people nowadays care the most about losing weight, sexual wellness, and depression, [which stems] from the great pressure they face," Li said.
For example, one of their best seller is Xiaoyao Wan, a classic herbal remedy for depression and stress management, as well as the tension that some women experience before and during their periods. Li said it's often referred to as "happy pills" by Western customers.
Other best seller include Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (six-flavor tea pills), which claim to treat a deficiency in yin, and to nourish the kidneys, which is said to improve sexual function in men.
On top of selling Yunnan Baiyao, Ma Ying Long and other products in the US, the company has also developed some of its own health supplements targeting several other issues.
For example, in response to growing problems with rising blood sugar, they developed an herbal remedy designed to keep glucose levels stable by generating bodily fluids and nourishing yin and qi (energy flow).
Among the company's bestsellers are Yunnan Baiyao capsules, though Li pointed out they're used differently in China and the US. While they're mostly used for stopping bleeding and enhancing healing in China, in the US, they're popular as a treatment for dogs who've undergone surgery or those who are suffering from cancer.
"The biggest challenge that TCM faces in the US is trust," Li explained. "Instead of medicine, these products are still just [considered] health supplements."
Among foreigners' greatest concerns, he said, is the possibility of these products containing heavy metals from Chinese-grown herbs.
Therefore, to make sure the products are effective and safe, while raising the concentration of their key ingredients to make them more effective, Li's strategy is to apply stricter quality standards to the production, which takes place in China, and to test each batch of products.
Foreign customers may also have more concerns related to the animal ingredients included in some TCM products, said Li, due to dietary restrictions or concerns about animal protection.
For that reason, products like Wuji Baifeng, a TCM pill derived from a certain type of black-skinned chicken that is used to replenish qi and blood, don't sell very well, he said.
Other problems arise from discrepancies in safety standards, which has led to some time-honored brands like Tongrentang struggling to achieve approval in overseas markets, said Liu Zhanglin, vice president of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, in a Xinhua report. Part of the reason is that TCM is subject to local medical authorization requirements, which vary from country to country.
Among the company's customers, according to Li, are more than 20,000 TCM practitioners and ordinary people, the majority of whom are, perhaps surprisingly, not of Chinese descent.
In light of the company's growing sales, Li thinks that foreigners are gradually warming up to the idea of Chinese medicine.
Indeed, Sukhoretskaya says that several of her foreign friends are also regular users of TCM products, but added that it's rare among foreigners. "Most use Western medicine that they've either brought from home, or bought at pharmacies," she said.
This kind of skepticism when it comes to Chinese remedies can only be overcome, Li says, through continued word-of-mouth promotion.
"For Chinese medicine overseas, it's all about public praise, or how one customer tells another."
