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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
Latest news and updates about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including Covid-19 treatments, food to eat and avoid, acupuncture, gua sha, and how TCM could help with anxiety and pain relief.
(From left) Professor Lee Sum-ping (via Zoom), drug development expert Dr Robert Spiegel, Professor Manson Fok, Michael Houghton and Professor Alexander Wai. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Some traditional Chinese medicine lessons at proposed Hong Kong medical school

Students taking a proposed four-year programme at Baptist University will have some exposure to traditional Chinese medicine, head says.

Trending in China

China firm enforces 2-minute toilet breaks, drawing inspiration from ancient text

Food and Drinks

How this bartender is bringing traditional Chinese medicine to cocktails

Wellness

Why superfood goji berries are good for you – in moderation

Goji berries are known to help fight eye degeneration as you age. What else might they be good for, and is there anything to watch out for?

Dried goji berries have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

China zoo criticised for selling tiger urine for US$7, claims it treats rheumatism

‘World class’ animal park which promotes ‘civilised’ tourism recommends mixing urine, which it collects in basins, with white wine for treatment.

Wellness

Traditional Chinese medicine remedies for colds, coughs, hair and more

Young TCM practitioners share tips on herbs and foods to help with everything from digestive, kidney and eye health to better hair and acne.

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Old Hong Kong

Then & Now | How Chinese medicinal wines became just the tonic in Hong Kong

Chinese medicinal wines made with herbs or animal parts have long been the go-to remedy for all sorts of maladies, from bad breath to marital inharmony.

Executive council member Henry Tang is handed a bottle of Chinese medicinal wine by workers at a local production plant in 1998. Photo: SCMP Archives
Wellness

What is acupuncture and how can it relieve pain? Experts explain

Acupuncture is a popular TCM treatment. Two young practitioners describe the ways they use it and the benefits it provides.

Wellness

5 wellness retreat trends in 2025, from sexual healing to psychedelics

Want to restore your libido, get help conceiving, or find relief from stress and addiction? Here is what’s trending in wellness tourism.

Food and Drinks

On the Menu | Eating for work is a dream job with health risks. How I’m finding balance

Dining out often is great, but can lead to various health issues. Here’s how I’ll rein it in 2025 without compromising too much.

A doctor gives a patient a check. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Hong Kong researcher on how TCM could be used to fight dementia

A neuroscientist describes how traditional Chinese medicine may provide modern solutions to preserving cognitive function as we age.

Researchers, including in Hong Kong, have been looking at the potential of traditional Chinese medicine to treat dementia, cases of which are forecast to rise as the elderly population grows. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Wellness

The celebrities driving traditional Chinese medicine’s boom in the West

Stars from Ariana Grande to Tom Brady are helping traditional Chinese medicine treatments like cupping and acupuncture soar in popularity.

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Chinese culture

The secrets of snake wine, long touted as good for health

Many believe that snake wine offers medicinal benefits, including improving blood circulation – but drinking it is not without its risks.

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The rise of traditional Chinese medicine

This series is based on our reporting on TCM, its history, treatments and growing acceptance around the world.

Wellness

Why Chinese Gen Z are getting TCM winter body check-ups

Lei Yun Shang’s traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Shanghai is seeing more young people get health checks as winter sets in.

Qiu Jingchuan, deputy chief practitioner at Lei Yun Shang, takes a patient’s blood pressure at the company’s TCM clinic in Shanghai, China. Photo: Lisa Cam
Wellness

Explainer | Why ‘growing snakes’ – shingles – is so painful and how to prevent it

Shingles causes a rash that can feel like ‘being burned and electrocuted’ at the same time. We look at its symptoms, treatment and vaccine.

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Wellness

Explainer | As TCM is promoted in Hong Kong, a primer on the cultural ‘treasure’

A festival of traditional Chinese medicine and a dedicated hospital are ways TCM is being promoted in the city. Here’s what you need to know.

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Food and Drinks

What is Pei Pa Koa and why is Ariana Grande adding it to her ‘vocal box’?

The Chinese cough syrup, loved by singers like Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, is also finding its way into cocktails around the world.

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Ariana Grande arrives at the fourth annual Academy Museum Gala on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Help for 5,000 in Hong Kong traditional Chinese medicine mental health project

Baptist University project promotes use of Chinese medicine to treat depression, anxiety or insomnia.

Belt and Road Initiative

To expand TCM use, China to train 1,300 practitioners in belt and road nations

About 1,300 overseas health workers will be part of the first batch to learn about the approach.

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Britain

‘Slapping therapy’ guru Hongchi Xiao jailed after death of diabetic UK woman

The healer promoted paida lajin therapy, getting patients to slap themselves repeatedly to release ‘poisonous waste’ from the body.

Danielle Carr-Gomm died when an alternative healer who advocated “slapping therapy” to treat a range of maladies failed to get her medical help, during the fourth day of a workshop in October 2016. Photo: AP
Trending in China

Profile | Chinese MMA champion Shi Ming gains viral fame for contrasting persona as TCM doctor

Fans affectionately call her ‘the most formidable martial arts TCM doctor’, highlighting her unique skills in both fields.

Shi Ming is a TCM doctor by day and an MMA fighter by night, earning her fans’ admiration. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Health & Fitness

China expands health insurance coverage with 91 new drugs, innovative treatments

The health authority shows its support for novel drugs, while driving tough bargains with pharmaceutical firms on prices.

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Trending in China

Chinese tourist has heart attack, saved by German studying TCM since childhood

He explains his preference for TCM over CPR, citing concerns for patient’s delicate condition.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong moves to restrict business use of medical terms such as ‘clinical’

Government seeks to better protect public from falling for misleading claims, but some professionals say proposal goes too far.

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Some in the fitness industry argue professionals working in areas outside of medical settings, such as sports therapists or stretch therapists, provide treatments effective in relieving health problems such as sports injuries. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How ‘dragon bones’ shed a whole new light on China’s ancient history

With the news that dinosaur fossils were found in Hong Kong, here is how China’s oracle bones changed our understanding of the Shang dynasty.

Oracle bone, The engraved characters are the earliest known examples of Chinese script. The bones originally used for divination also provide information about rulers, battles, folk religion and religious rites. China. Chinese. Shang dynasty c 1766 1122 BC. An yang, Honan. (Photo by Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images) Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Shady practices at Hong Kong pain relief, ‘bone-manipulating’ centres spotlighted

Just three convictions due to grey areas in adverts for pain-management services, official says.

Profile

Meet a real-life Mr Miyagi based in Fuzhou – but what is Incense Shop kung fu?

Unlike his Karate Kid counterpart, Lin Shan Quan doesn’t do discretion – instead he’s going all out to bring his particular martial art to the uninitiated masses.

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