In a society that has seen unprecedented change in the past decade, virtually every Chinese household still retains a belief in the value of traditional medicines to cure its ills.

But both inside and outside China, a demand is growing for scientific testing of the herbs and other ingredients that form the basis of traditional Chinese medicines.

To address some of these concerns, Sydney University and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou have agreed to set up a joint research centre which will identify the ingredients of Chinese medicines, design new dosage forms and carry out clinical trials.

The agreement was formalised last month by representatives of the two universities during a symposium on Chinese medicines at Sun Yat-sen University.

George Qian Li, the University's leading authority on Chinese herbal medicines, is a key researcher on the Sydney side of the project.

"Our shared vision is a collaboration that will modernise and internationalise Chinese medicines," said Dr Li, Sesquicentenary Lecturer in Herbal Medicines in the Faculty of Pharmacy.

A debate about the effectiveness and quality of Chinese medicines has been going on for several decades. Some of the treatments are thought to date back 5,000 years to the time of the Yellow Emperor, who is credited with writing the first book on the subject, Basic Questions of Internal Medicine.

Mao Zedong encouraged the use of and education in traditional medicine in the 1960s, engaging the country's leading doctors to carry out a study which resulted in the current form of TCM.

But the development and spread of Western medicine led to an era of uncertainty, and although traditional medicine is still an integral part of the health care system in China, it is often practised alongside modern Western treatments.

Dr Li said some of the basic components of Chinese medicines were of proven benefit. For example Chinese wormwood, a species of artemesia, has led to a new drug artemisinin, now in common use throughout the world to treat malaria.

But work still remains to be done on other plants such as St John's wort, grown in both China and Australia for medical purposes and used in the treatment of depression. Dr Li said there was still no agreement on the chemical components that made the treatment effective.

Professor Iqbal Ramzan, Dean of Pharmacy, said TCM and herbal medicines were of growing importance in the Australian health care market as younger people in particular became dissatisfied with modern medicines.

"More and more people want to have a choice in whatever treatment or therapy they have," he said. "Gone are the days when a doctor or practitioner made a decision for you; now people want to make a choice for themselves."

Contact: Richard North

Phone: 02 9351 3720