Page 58 - 2025中醫藥與天然藥物聯合學術研討會-中醫藥與天然藥物的挑戰Ｘ機遇與未來大會手冊

The Integration of Traditional Medicine & Modern Medicine-from the

Anti-pandemic Experience of NRICM101

1
Yi-Chang Su

1 Director, National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, MOHW

* E-mail: sychang@nricm.edu.tw

Abstract
Traditional medicine (TM) has been the main source of public medical care for 4 hundred
years in Taiwan. Since the mid-20th century, Taiwan's modern medicine (MM) developed
rapidly. With the support of national policies, the public health system, acute and chronic

disease care system have gradually matured. The utilization rate of TM has also declined rapidly.
The dilemma of TM facing being completely replaced by MM also occurs in other Asian
countries. The development of TM faces with several issues that need to be solved urgently,
including academic evidence of the clinical efficacy and safety of TM, the emergence of
innovative medical methods (technology, instruments and drugs), and the supply of high-quality

medicinal materials and drugs. Since 2020, the world has been caught in the storm of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for therapeutic drugs against the epidemic is very urgent.
Taiwan NRICM took the lead in successfully developing NRICM101 in October 2020. It has

been exported to nearly 60 countries around the world and has been used by more than 4 million
people. Its clinically significant efficacy has not only attracted international attention, but has
also greatly increased the utility of TM and the development of TM-related industries. This
successful development of "NRICM101" demonstrates that applying scientific research
methods and technologies to TM can reveal not only “what works” but also “why it works”

through a rigorous scientific process. Furthermore, the standardization of materials and quality
control of ingredients ensures the reproducibility and reliability of clinical effects. As a result,
the integration of TM and MM has become a fundamental requirement—whether in generating

clinical evidence, ensuring the quality control of target medications, or elucidating therapeutic
mechanisms. This also underscores the necessity and inevitability of the integrated development
of people-centered TM and disease-centered MM.

Keywords: Traditional medicine; Modern medicine (MM); NRICM101

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