The TCM formula granules are produced by combining the traditional Chinese medicine theory and the traditional Chinese medicine decoction preparation method with modern science and technology and modern pharmaceutical technologies. The raw materials of all products are Chinese herbal pieces processed according to the standard and extracted by decoction in water. Different equipment and conditions are provided to meeting the requirements of different product varieties for first decoction, later decoction, gentle heat and high heat. These products are single Chinese herbs produced by extraction, infusion, concentration and drying processes. After more than 20 years of pilot study, their clinical effects have been fully verified and affirmed. The TCM formula granules inherit the traditional Chinese medicine, adapt to the changes in the social environment, embody the features of clear dose, portability and good adaptability and conform to the health concept of returning to nature. Compared with the traditional decoction of Chinese medicine, formula granules possess the obvious economic benefits and advantages, constituting the core factor that drives the rapid growth of traditional Chinese medicine industry.
Among the top six independent R&D creators of TCM formula granules in China, China TCM owns 2 of them, i.e. Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Tianjiang Pharmaceutical”) and Guangdong Yifang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Yifang Pharmaceutical”). Tianjiang Pharmaceutical and Yifang Pharmaceutical are the domestic producers of TCM formula granules with the largest production scale, the highest level of specialized production, the strongest research and development capability and the broadest market coverage. They conduct quality control in strict accordance with the national GMP standards, adopt the modern fingerprint analysis technology and implement quality control throughout the whole process from natural medicinal materials, intermediate products to finished products. Over the past 20 years, the two companies have always been focusing on the reform of Chinese herbal pieces, completed the study on preparation technique and quality standard of a total of over 600 kinds of TCM formula granules, jointly conducted the clinical and pharmacodynamic studies on “separated decoction” and “combined decoction”, created the quality standard system and safety indicator limit standards for TCM formula granules, made an outstanding contribution to the national pilot project of formula granules, and also played a leading role in China’s TCM formula granules industry with a market share of more than 50%.
Both Tianjiang Pharmaceutical and Yifang Pharmaceutical are in the first batch of “pilot production enterprises of TCM formula granules” approved by China Food and Drug Administration, and won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award issued by the State Council in 2011. Their products have covered all the provinces, cities and districts in China and over thirty countries and regions, including Europe and the United States, Australia, Southeast Asia, etc.
Tianjiang Pharmaceutical has a testing center (national laboratory) that has been accredited by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS). The test reports issued by the laboratory can be affixed with the seal of CNAS and international mutual accreditation mark. Such test reports are currently recognized by 50 countries, regions and 65 institutions worldwide.
Yifang Pharmaceutical relies on the strong technology support provided by Guangdong Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Manufacturing Technology (formerly known as “Guangdong Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine”) and Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, conducts systematic studies on the production, quality standards, clinical efficacy and safety of TCM formula granules, and lays a solid technical foundation for long-term development of Yifang TCM formula granules project. 
In order to ensure that the product quality reaches the “safe, effective, stable and controllable” standards, the development of Chinese herbal pieces shall be taken into account while planning the layout of medicinal material production bases. China TCM has created an “8+X” pattern of medicinal material production and extraction bases, centered on Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Gansu, Anhui, Sichuan and Guizhou. The place of origin and harvest season has been specified for each medicinal material. Every link is under strict control from ecological environment, herb seedlings cultivation and planting, medicinal material collection to transport and packaging, so as to achieve success in both Chinese herbal pieces and formula granules.
The layout of the production base is under synchronized planning with traditional Chinese medicinal materials procurement base to develop the internal industrial collaboration. The collaborative production of Chinese patent medicine and formula granule is achieved; the procurement of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is combined with its traceability system; and the industry chain extends upstream to achieve efficient sharing of resources.
The TCM formula granules have overcome the shortcomings of traditional Chinese medicine decoction that fails to precisely control the time, water, heat and quality. It is a systematic project of traditional Chinese medicine modernization. At the beginning of the original research, Tianjiang Pharmaceutical worked closely with medical institutions at all levels, universities and scientific research institutes, established the first TCM Formula Granules Industrial Technology Research Institute in China, National Post-Doctoral Research Center, Jiangsu TCM Formula Granules Engineering Technology Research Center and other joint research platforms.
At present, thousands of medical institutions, universities and scientific research institutes, are working with Tianjiang Pharmaceutical to participate in the tide of innovation in traditional Chinese medicine. They have completed hundreds of research projects at national, provincial and municipal levels and written more than a thousand papers in clinical study. Hundreds of millions of people have used the TCM formula granules and proved their safety and efficacy.
Tianjiang Pharmaceutical considers the medicinal material production base as the first workshop for pharmaceutical production. Through the cooperation with upstream industries and medicinal material production bases, it has built more than 60 Chinese medicinal herb planting bases and fixed procurement bases for more than 600 product varieties, and confirmed the origin of over 120 common multi-source medicinal materials; cooperated with China Pharmaceutical University, established the Traditional Chinese Medicine Fine Varieties Breeding Research Center and used biotechnology to cultivate fine varieties. According to the optimal extraction rate of each formula granule, Tianjiang Pharmaceutical determined the process parameters of each product variety, such as added water, heating time, boiling time and decoction times, and adopted the intelligent extraction line to ensure the stable and controllable quality of the product.
Quality control throughout the whole process provides you with assured choices. Tianjiang Pharmaceutical has arranged multiple tests on natural medicinal materials, extracts, semi-finished products and finished products from raw materials to finished products, as well as hundreds of quality control points. Relying on its CNAS laboratory, it has carried out tests throughout the process to control the quality of granules, with the indexes of heavy metals, pesticide residues, aflatoxins, sulfur dioxide and other harmful substances reaching the most stringent standards in the world.
