Program overview
Chinese Materia Medica may sound ancient, but it's actually a very 'trendy' interdisciplinary field. In simple terms, it's about learning how to use modern scientific methods to study traditional Chinese medicine. You'll explore the 'past and present' of Chinese herbs: from how plants grow (medicinal botany), to how they are harvested and processed (Chinese medicine processing), to how they work in the human body (Chinese medicine pharmacology). Core courses include Chinese medicinal chemistry, formulaology, and Chinese medicine identification. Many courses involve lab work and field trips, such as visiting herb bases to identify plants or extracting active ingredients in the lab. If you're interested in Chinese medicine culture and enjoy hands-on experiments, this major is a great fit. Chinese universities have a unique advantage in this field: many have their own herb gardens and specimen museums, and even collaborate with hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, giving you direct access to real herbs and clinical cases.