Challenges of Chinese herbal medicine

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is one of the most developed remedies in Chinese medicine. It has long been used by Chinese medicine practitioners for treating different conditions. With the increasing demand for CHM by consumers in recent decades, the benefit and safety of CHM have been frequently evaluated. There is now accumulated evidence available for the efficacy/benefit of certain CHMs for various clinical conditions. However, there are still significant challenges for CHM, including gaps in knowledge and attitudes among consumers, medical and healthcare practitioners, manufacturers, suppliers and policy makers or regulators with regard to the use and evaluations of CHM, especially in developed countries.