ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Life

Americans distrusting Big Pharma seek traditional Chinese cures

Amid opioid epidemic, US practitioners promote herbs and acupuncture for pain relief

A specialist at Chinese herbal dispensary Kamwo rations out herbs. (Photo by Ariana King)

NEW YORK — When uninitiated Americans think of traditional Chinese medicine, their first thoughts might be of an elderly Asian man performing acupuncture behind a curtain, or someone’s grandmother dishing out a questionable concoction of pungent herbs.

But the contrast between the old images and current reality is as different as yin and yang, as mass-produced herbal remedies can be ordered at the click of an app by Western practitioners of Eastern medicine who may have never set foot in Asia.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more