Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today attended the launch ceremony of the Department of Health’s (DH) new dedicated website Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines (DHCM).

The DHCM is established through digitalisation of Chinese medicines specimens into a digital collection, currently covering high-resolution pictures and related data of 220 commonly used Chinese materia medica (CMM) and their source plants.

It is the first online herbarium of its kind that provides comprehensive information on Chinese medicines, and also the first in the world using photogrammetry to produce three dimensional images on traceable CMM specimens.

Addressing the launch ceremony at the Science Park, Prof Lo noted that the Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the platform of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) would be leveraged for accelerating the promotion of Chinese medicine informatisation and digitalisation.

The GCMTI drive serves to facilitate the sharing of information through establishing a digitalised Chinese medicines information platform for Chinese medicine identification and educational purposes.

Prof Lo said the establishment of the world-class DHCM marks the Government’s important step forward in promoting the innovative application of Chinese medicine data and resources, and the preservation and innovation of Chinese medicine developments.

It is also part of the Government’s efforts to dovetail with the country’s Construction Plan for the Chinese Medicine Highlands in the Greater Bay Area (2020-2025) as well as tie in with the implementation of the Development Plan for the Informatisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, Prof Lo added.

Users of the DHCM may use the name of CMM or plants, their medicinal uses, collection locations or medicinal parts as keywords to search for information of the Chinese medicines. Scientific information are also provided for some CMM.

Furthermore, users may also take a virtual tour to the GCMTI’s Chinese Medicines Herbarium, viewing the precious CMM specimens donated by the National Medical Products Administration through the National Institutes for Food & Drug Control.

After officiating at the launch ceremony, Prof Lo visited the DH-managed GMTIC which is located in the Science Park.

Apart from learning about the latest progress of the GCMTI’s work on Chinese medicine testing methods and standards setting, Prof Lo also exchanged views with laboratory staff on their work.