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Herbal Pharmacology in the People’s Republic of China - Section 1 — Page 1 The Southwest School of Botanical Medicine http://www.swsbm.com
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The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the Councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the Committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competence and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 75-39772 International Standard Book No. 0-309-02438-2 Available from: Printing and Publishing Office National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418 Printed in the United States of America
Herbal Pharmacology in the People’s Republic of China - Section 1 — Page 2 The Southwest School of Botanical Medicine http://www.swsbm.com
PREFACE The Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China sponsored the visit of a twelve-member Herbal Pharmacology Study Group to the People's Republic of China from June 1 to June 26, 1974. In China, the group was hosted by the Chinese Medical Association. This report is a compilation of the findings of the group members, whose task was to discuss research on natural products for therapeutic use, identification of medically effective elements, and development of synthetic drugs with those elements. The group visited Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, Nanking, Hangchow, and Kwangchow. The Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China is sponsored jointly by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Social Science Research Council. It was formed in 1966 to promote scholarly communication between the two countries in the natural sciences, medical sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Herbal Pharmacology in the People’s Republic of China - Section 1 — Page 3 The Southwest School of Botanical Medicine http://www.swsbm.com
INTRODUCTION During the month of June 1974, twelve U.S. specialists in chemistry, medicine, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, pharmacy, and Chinese culture visited a series of major Chinese cities for the purpose of assessing the current status of herbal pharmacology (both basic and clinical) in the People's Republic of China.1 We hoped, by visiting medical schools (both traditional"2 and Western-type), research institutes, hospitals, pharmacies, pharmaceutical plants, and plantations, to learn something about current Chinese approaches to the use of herbal medicines and to the detailed study of such medicines in man and animals, as well as to identify types of plant materials that might justify prompt attention from Western scientists and physicians interested in developing important new drugs from natural products. Our group was selected with the following points in mind: (1) a complement of scientific disciplines appropriate to our mission; (2) geographic distribution so as to include scholars from different areas, schools, and institutes in the United States; (3) representation of academia, industry, and government; and (4) the presence in the delegation of China scholars as well as scientists with a working knowledge of the Chinese language. Scholars who had visited the People's Republic of China in the previous 5 years were not considered. Problems It soon became obvious that certain factors - some predictable and others not were to make our mission more difficult than many of us had suspected. One of the first o