October 22 marks the 30th annual World Traditional Medicine Day. On December 12, 1991, at the International Conference on Traditional Medicine, representatives from 42 countries and regions decided in unison to set the opening day of this conference as World Traditional Medicine Day.

Today, a big fan of Traditional Chinese Medicine will guide you to discover the charm of TCM culture in Guangzhou on this special day!

Phei Er Saw comes from Malaysia, and she is a professor in the Medical Research Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, engaged in Nano Medical Research. In her life and work, she shows great interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

TCM, as one of the most influential traditional medicines, seems to be mysterious for many expats. “However, it does work. I have experienced a lot because I have acupuncture (针灸) and Moxibustion (艾灸).” Saw said she feels refreshing after that. “It cures a lot of my external problems, and also when I have a stomach problem, it really helps.”

During Phei Er Saw’s visit to Guangzhou Shennong Caotang TCM Museum, her attention was drawn to the long history and splendid culture of TCM. In the Medicinal Herb Garden, Phei Er Saw was attracted by both the medicinal materials and the pharmaceutical equipment.

According to WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2019, 170 WHO member states have acknowledged their use of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) since 2018. Also, by the same year, a total of 98 countries, more than 50% of the 194 member states, had a national policy on T&CM.

Saw commented, “Sometimes it's not good to say that something is not effective, just because you don't understand something. So, it is effective. We know it's effective. It's just that we don't know the underlying mechanism why it is working.” 

In Nanocarriers in the Enhancement of Therapeutic Efficacy of Natural Drugs, one of the papers that Saw published last year, how to integrate nanoparticle with traditional medicine was discussed. In her opinion, in the future, the way to go is to integrate western and Chinese traditional medicine.

Author | Hannah, Zoey

Video shooting | Chen Weifeng 

Video editor& script | Zoey

Editor | Monica, Jerry, Ou Xiaoming

With help from Monica