Since May 1st, herbal remedies that failed the registration process are no longer prescribed by doctors across Europe. This is a new Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products passed by the European Union in 2004.

However, the up to 65,000 euros registration fee for each medicine has cooled down the enthusiasm of many Chinese herbal companies. Meanwhile, some Chinese officials are still trying to help the European Union realize the uniqueness of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Professor Lin Bin, Chinese Medicine R&D Center in Europe said "Chinese herbal medicine entered Europe in the 1990s. Most of them are health care medicine, so we haven't kept a safety record. We need to further communicate with the European Union so they understand the uniqueness of Traditional Chinese herbal medicine. It has a history of over 2 thousand years, the longest in the world. We suggest they should be registered in a special way."