Abstract
Yunnan is a multiethnic province in southwest China, rich in Materia medica resources, and is popularly known as the kingdom of plants. Biomedicine and public health industry have been the industrial pillars of Yunnan since 2016, which is the important pharmaceutical industrial base for Dai and Yi medicine in China. This review of the Yunnan ethnic medicine industry describes some of the problems to be solved in the development of sustainable ethnomedicine in China. We investigated Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) declared as ethnomedicine on the drug instructions and identified 28 Dai patent medicines (DPMs) and 73 Yi patent medicines (YPMs) that were approved for clinical use in China. In further research, the clinical indications of these CPMs were determined, and the quality standard of medicinal materials and their usage frequencies in DPMs and YPMs were investigated. We also collected and analyzed the data on use of botanical and animal sources of medicines, the rare and endangered medicinal materials, and toxic medicines in DPMs and YPMs. The application of zootherapy in Yi traditional medicine was introduced from its abundant ancient documents and records; based on the “YaGei” theory in Dai traditional medicine, toxic medicines can be relatively safe in DPMs. However, for promoting the Yunnan traditional medicine industry, it is necessary to strengthen medical research to expand evidence-based clinical practice and balance ethnomedicine production and sustainable utilization of Materia medica resources, especially the animal sources of medicines, toxic medicines, and the protected wild resources reported in this survey. Only in this way can industrialization of ethnomedicine promote the improvement of human health.
Highlights
Evidence of the first human use of plants as medicines was observed in the fossil record of the Middle Paleolithic period, which began approximately 60,000 years ago [1]
A total of 39 ethnic patent medicines (EPMs) were included in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition). e fourth national survey of Chinese Materia medica resources is underway with the objective of determining the status of the available resources and investigating the modern value of herbal medicine including ethnic and folk medicines [6]
Fourteen Dai patent medicines (DPMs) such as Biao Re Qing Granule, Guan Tong Shu Oral liquid, and Hui Xue Sheng Capsule that have already been approved as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs accounted for 50% of the DPMs. e Yi patent medicines (YPMs) included 24 prescriptions such as Bai Bei Yi Fei Capsule, Chang Shu Zhi Xie Capsule, and Dan E Fu Kang Ointment, which have been approved as OTC drugs and account for 32.8% of the total YPMs. e information about these patent medicines is recorded in Tables S1 and S2
Summary
Evidence of the first human use of plants as medicines was observed in the fossil record of the Middle Paleolithic period, which began approximately 60,000 years ago [1]. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a written history of nearly 3000 years and is widely practiced in China [4]. E.g., the Tibetans, Mongols, Uygurs, Dai, Yi, and Miao, has its own traditional medicine, and each differs slightly in theory and practice from TCM. Ethnomedicine refers to the use of traditional medicine guided by the medical theory and practical experience of each ethnic minority [5]. Since 2017, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Traditional Chinese Medicine has given ethnomedicine a relatively independent status it is considered as part of TCM. E Dai and Yi traditional medicine are the representatives of ethnomedicine practiced in Yunnan. Is review focuses on the Yi and Dai traditional medicine in Yunnan and the potential problems to be encountered in the development of policies favorable to ethnomedicine development Biomedicine and public health industry have been the major industries in Yunnan since 2016, and more than 2000 ethnic medicinal resources and more than 10,000 folk prescriptions are native to Yunnan [7]. is review focuses on the Yi and Dai traditional medicine in Yunnan and the potential problems to be encountered in the development of policies favorable to ethnomedicine development
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