Singapore, Sept 01, 2010: Exports of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the global market were valued at $1.46 billion in 2009, according to Wang Guoqiang, director of the State Administration of TCM.

Mr Wang, who is also Vice Minister of Health, said the number of countries and regions which recognize the advantages and special features of TCM in treating modern diseases were on the rise and many countries were seeking cooperation with China on TCM.

Traditional Chinese medicines are mostly mixtures of a number of ingredients or medical plants such as herbs, which makes them much more difficult to explain and analyze in a quantitative sense than western drugs.