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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.
young man and woman talking while exercising on bicycle in fitness center. Credit: Shutterstock
Wellness

Don’t have life sorted by 25? Not to worry – why TCM says your peak comes later

Traditional Chinese medicine observes peak physical and reproductive age as 28 for women and 32 for men, much older than in Western medicine.

Chinese culture

Being Chinese | Talking when you eat is bad for you, and other Chinese beliefs

Food and Drinks

On the Menu | Despite what TCM doctors say, I need cold food and drink this summer

Wellness

How many lychees are safe to eat in a day? What TCM says about the fruit

Traditional Chinese medicine experts suggest no more than 10 to 15 lychees a day for adults to avoid excessive ‘yit hei’ or body heat.

Lychee season is here, but experts advise moderation due to its “heaty” nature and potential health risks. When consumed in moderation, however, the fruit offers a range of health benefits according to traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Wellness

The TCM influencers demystifying ancient Chinese healing practices for Gen Z

Traditional Chinese medicine is trending as university-educated practitioners take to Instagram with clips combating common misconceptions.

Trending in China

Why Chinese culture fears plucking white hair and traditional remedies

Chinese have a tradition of consuming animal organs, hoping to nourish their corresponding human equivalents.

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Science

Biomedicine | China steps up Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s drug push, looks to TCM

With the most cases of the two leading neurodegenerative diseases, and affected population rising as country ages, China needs to find new treatments.

China steps up Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s drug push, looks to TCM
Art

Soft Hours: artist Juno Shen’s Song dynasty teahouse for today’s New Yorkers

An ode to slow living that dovetails with ‘Chinamaxxing’ trends, the fully functional artwork/retreat serves teas that change according to the seasons in keeping with ancient Chinese beliefs.

Food and Drinks

Mandarin peel ice cream? Chun pei, a TCM ingredient, is gaining favour

Dried mandarin peel was first used in dishes to impress Chinese emperors. Today, it can be found in everything from drinks to desserts.

Food and Drinks

Asian-American mother challenges tough Chinese traditions for new mums

Clarissa Wei’s cookbook ‘Sitting the Month’ puts a modern spin on the traditional Chinese foods typically given to post-partum mothers.

Clarissa Wei is the author of “Sitting the Month”, a cookbook that aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding the ancient Chinese tradition of “zuo yue zi” so new mums can recover after childbirth with confidence. Photo: Lin Hou Jun
Wellness

Are ice baths good for you? What you need to know before taking the plunge

Ice baths and cold plunges are springing up across Hong Kong, but will traditional Chinese medicine ideas freeze them out of the market?

Cold-water immersion such as ice baths and cold plunges are said to come with a host of health benefits, but one possible cultural counter-current in Hong Kong could be traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories. Photo: Shutterstock
Vietnam

Pangolin win: Vietnam sends scale smugglers to prison for 8 years

The Asian pangolin has been hunted for its meat and scales to the point of extinction, causing poachers to turn to its African cousins.

Chinese culture

Turning walnuts into ‘jade’? Social media goes nuts over old Chinese tradition

You will not actually make jade by rolling walnuts around in your palm, but this Chinese tradition can boost hand strength and calm anxiety.

Hong Kong economy

Ex-Hong Kong leader’s Chinese medicine platform to link mainland and global markets

Leung Chun-ying launches Hong Kong-based trading platform to boost transparency, efficiency and global reach of branch of medical practice.

Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, left, and Liu Wei, secretary of the CPC Nansha District Committee, right, at the launch ceremony of the ShouChuang Traditional Chinese Medicine Trading Platform in Guangzhou. Photo: Edmond So
Food and Drinks

How Okinawan food evolved with Chinese influences to become ‘truly unique’

Long ago, Okinawa was part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a trade hub linking Japan to Asia. Today, dishes like goya champuru reflect this history.

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Champuru is a representative dish of Okinawa, Japan. Its use of goya, or bitter melon, reveals its Chinese influences. Photo: Getty Images
Trending in China

China youth flock to TCM bars for ‘prescription cocktails’ amid ‘punk wellness’ trend

Younger generation embrace notion of ‘wrecking yourself while saving yourself’ by drinking concoctions of booze and herbs.

Trending in China

Why Chinese pour TCM medicine dregs on roads, hope others will walk, drive over it

Folk legend has it that a man known as ‘king of medicine’ in Tang dynasty examined leftover TCM on street, came up with better cures.

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Wellness

Luxury traditional Chinese medicine treatments are finding fans in Hong Kong

TCM treatments at Upper House, Island Shangri-La and Yun Wellness ranging from acupuncture to massage are appealing to younger generations.

Yun Wellness, at the Island Shangri-la in Hong Kong, regularly hosts guest acupuncturists, tai chi masters and bonesetters. Photo: Yun Wellness
Two Sessions 2026

China to launch TCM on global health mission over the next 5 years

Health commission chief says the plan is to expand the pool of medicinal plants and improve training and technology.

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Trending in China

Why ancient Chinese folk custom involved cutting thigh flesh to feed sick relatives

Extreme act of filial devotion saw raw flesh cooked for human consumption; eventually act was rewarded with tax relief, official titles.

Wellness

All about TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ Angong Niuhuang Wan, and when not to take it

The prized Angong Niuhuang Wan is thought to help stroke victims if taken at the right time. But when is that, and can it harm you?

A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner checks an elderly man. According to the Hong Kong Stroke Fund, about 25,000 new stroke cases occur in the city each year. Photo: Eugene Lee
Food and Drinks

This TCM bar in China makes customers drinks based on its doctor’s diagnoses

Shanghai bar Niang Qing is one of many new traditional Chinese medicine bars that offer bespoke wellness to China’s stressed-out youth.

A bartender prepares shots at Niang Qing, a “TCM bar” in Shanghai, China. Similar bars based on traditional Chinese medicine have popped up in cities across China, epitomising what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness”, or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself”. Photo: AFP
Ageing society

Opinion | Hong Kong should see the ‘silver economy’ as a golden opportunity

The city could reframe its ageing trend by working to become a global capital for ‘longevity finance’ and supporting East-West healthcare innovations.

Trending in China

Foreigners flock to China for cheaper medical treatment, drawn by free visa policy

Number of foreign visits to mainland hospitals spikes to 1.28 million in 2025, a rise of 73 per cent on the number 3 years ago.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Opinion | Fee hikes are only half the equation if Hong Kong health reform is to work

If paired with viable service alternatives, clear guidance and a stronger focus on prevention, price rises could become a catalyst for real change.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

4 in 10 Hongkongers struggle to distinguish Chinese medicines from supplements

Our Hong Kong Foundation develops new tool to assess literacy in Chinese medicine, finds ‘moderate level’ of understanding among respondents.

The pharmacy at the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong, the city’s first hospital in the field. Photo: Edmond So
Trending in China

China aunties teach qigong exercises to fliers at Cairo airport during flight delay

Foreigners join in as middle-aged Chinese women set about taking stress of travelling with pain-relieving dance moves.

Trending in China

Chinese woman swallows raw fish gallbladder to relieve headache ends up in ICU

Fish gallbladder is ‘even more toxic than arsenic’; a few grams are capable of poisoning an individual, larger amounts are potentially fatal.

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