Herborigen Classroom: List of Food-Medicine Dual-Use Ingredients and List of Common/Non-Common Food Ingredients (2024 Updated Edition), Source: <Health Bureau of Shizhong District, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, China (Government Agency)>
Medicine-Food Homology Catalog &
Edible / Non-Edible Food Material Lists (2024 Official Edition)
Source: Neijiang City Shizhong District Health Bureau (Date of Release: 2025-08-18)
Context: As of 2024, the health administrative department of the State Council has released four batches of substances that are traditionally both food and Chinese medicinal materials, totaling 106 items.
Important Disclaimer: This is an English reference translation based on official Chinese lists. The regulatory status of each item varies by country. Always confirm the classification (food, dietary supplement, drug) in your target market before importing, marketing, or selling any product.
1. Complete Catalog of Medicine-Food Homology Items (106 items)
These substances are officially recognised in China as both food and traditional Chinese medicinal materials. The list below consolidates all four official batches released between 2002 and 2024, with duplicates removed.
- Batch 1 (2002, 87 items): Clove, Star Anise, Sword Bean, Fennel, Small Thistle, Chinese Yam, Hawthorn, Purslane, Zaocys (Black Snake), Smoked Plum, Papaya, Hemp Seed, Bitter Orange Flower, Polygonatum Odoratum, Licorice, Angelica Dahurica, Ginkgo Seed, White Hyacinth Bean, White Hyacinth Bean Flower, Longan Aril (Longan), Cassia Seed, Lily Bulb, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Emblic Leafflower Fruit, Finger Citron, Apricot Kernel (Sweet & Bitter), Sea Buckthorn, Oyster, Gordon Euryale Seed, Prickly Ash, Adzuki Bean, Donkey-Hide Gelatin, Chicken Gizzard Membrane, Malt, Kelp, Jujube (Chinese Date, Sour Jujube, Black Jujube), Monk Fruit, Chinese Dwarf Cherry Seed, Honeysuckle, Chinese White Olive, Houttuynia Cordata, Ginger (Fresh & Dried), Raisin Tree Seed, Goji Berry (Wolfberry), Cape Jasmine Fruit, Villous Amomum Fruit, Sterculia Lychnophora Seed, Poria, Citron, Chinese Mosla, Peach Seed, Mulberry Leaf, Mulberry Fruit, Tangerine Red Epicarp, Platycodon Root, Sharp-Leaf Galangal Fruit, Lotus Leaf, Radish Seed, Lotus Seed, Galangal, Lophatherum Herb, Fermented Soybean, Chrysanthemum, Chicory, Yellow Mustard Seed, Polygonatum Sibiricum, Perilla Leaf, Perilla Seed, Kudzu Root, Black Sesame, Black Pepper, Pagoda Tree Flower Bud, Pagoda Tree Flower, Dandelion, Honey, Torreya Seed, Sour Jujube Seed, Fresh Imperata Rhizome, Fresh Reed Rhizome, Agkistrodon (Pit Viper), Tangerine Peel, Peppermint, Coix Seed, Allium Macrostemon, Raspberry, Patchouli.
- Batch 2 (2019, 6 items): Chinese Angelica, Sand Ginger, Saffron (also known as "Tibetan Saffron" when used in spices and seasonings), Tsaoko, Turmeric, Long Pepper.
- Batch 3 (2023, 9 items): Codonopsis Root, Desert Cistanche, Dendrobium Officinale, American Ginseng, Astragalus, Ganoderma Lucidum, Cornus Officinalis, Gastrodia Elata, Eucommia Leaf.
- Batch 4 (2024, 4 items): Rehmannia Root, Ophiopogon Japonicus, Asparagus Cochinchinensis, Epimedium Leaf.
2. Chinese Herbs Permitted in Health Food (Dietary Supplements)
The following substances are not classified as ordinary food, but are officially listed for use in health food (dietary supplement) formulations in China. This list serves as a reference for product development, though regulations in export markets will differ.
- Ginseng, Ginseng Leaf, Ginseng Fruit, Panax Notoginseng, Glabrous Greenbrier Rhizome, Japanese Thistle, Glossy Privet Fruit, Cornus Officinalis, Cyathula Root, Sichuan Fritillary Bulb, Sichuan Lovage Rhizome, Horse Deer Fetus, Horse Deer Antler, Horse Deer Bone, Danshen Root, Siberian Ginseng, Chinese Magnoliavine Fruit, Cimicifuga Rhizome, Asparagus Cochinchinensis, Gastrodia Elata, Pseudostellaria Root, Morinda Root, Elecampane, Scouring Rush, Burdock Fruit, Burdock Root, Plantain Seed, Plantain Herb, Coastal Glehnia Root, Ussuri Fritillary Bulb, Scrophularia Root, Dried Rehmannia Root, Raw Polygonum Multiflorum, Bletilla Rhizome, Atractylodes Macrocephala, White Peony Root, Round Cardamom, Abalone Shell, Dendrobium, Wolfberry Root Bark, Chinese Angelica, Bamboo Shavings, Safflower, Rhodiola Rosea, American Ginseng, Evodia Fruit, Achyranthes Bidentata, Eucommia Bark, Eucommia Leaf, Flatstem Milkvetch Seed, Tree Peony Bark, Aloe, Atractylodes Rhizome, Psoralea Fruit, Medicine Terminalia Fruit, Red Peony Root, Polygala Root, Ophiopogon Japonicus, Tortoise Shell, Eupatorium, Biota Leaf, Processed Rhubarb, Processed Polygonum Multiflorum, Manyprickle Acanthopanax, Rosa Davurica Fruit, Hyssop, Alisma Rhizome, Rose, Roselle, Anemarrhena Rhizome, Apocynum, Broadleaf Holly Leaf, Wild Buckwheat, Cherokee Rose Fruit, Green Tangerine Peel, Magnolia Flower, Turmeric, Bitter Orange, Bitter Orange Immature, Arborvitae Seed, Pearl, Gynostemma, Fenugreek, Indian Madder Root, Long Pepper, Leek Seed, Tuber Fleeceflower Stem, Nutgrass Rhizome, Drynaria Rhizome, Codonopsis Root, Mulberry Bark, Mulberry Branch, Thunberg Fritillary Bulb, Motherwort, Centella Asiatica, Epimedium, Dodder Seed, Wild Chrysanthemum, Ginkgo Leaf, Astragalus, Hubei Fritillary Bulb, Senna Leaf, Gecko, Vaccinium, Pagoda Tree Fruit, Cattail Pollen, Tribulus, Propolis, Tamarind, Eclipta, Processed Rhubarb, Prepared Rehmannia, Turtle Shell.
3. Traditional Chinese Herbs PROHIBITED in Health Food
These substances, many of which are toxic or have severe side effects, are strictly forbidden for use in health food products in China. They are listed here for awareness and to aid in identifying raw materials that should NEVER be used.
- Dysosma Versipellis, Andromeda Japonica, Caper Spurge Seed, Aristolochia Mollissima, Scopolia Japonica, Sichuan Aconite, Aristolochia Fangchi, Coriaria Leaf, Nux Vomica, Dysosma Versipellis (Six-Leaf), Henbane Seed, Croton Seed, Mercury, Catharanthus Roseus, Euphorbia Kansui, Raw Arisaema, Raw Pinellia, Raw Giant Typhonium, Raw Euphorbia Fischeriana, White Mercury Compound, Short-Tube Lycoris, Aristolochia Manshuriensis, Nongjili (Crotalaria), Oleander, Cinnabar, Poppy Capsule, Red Mercury Compound, Taxus Chinensis, Red Star Anise, Red Powder (Mercuric Oxide), Strophanthus Divaricatus, Rhododendron Molle, Guizhou Colchicum, Peking Spurge, Tripterygium Hypoglaucum, Pufferfish, Yangnuhua, Lytta Caraganae, Derris, Digitalis, Datura, Morning Glory Seed, Arsenolite (White Arsenic, Red Arsenic, Arsenic Trioxide), Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii, Periploca Sepium, Peganum Harmala, Dysosma, Chinese Illicium, Aconitum Brachypodum, Lily of the Valley, Aconitum Szechenyianum, Yellow Oleander, Blister Beetle, Sulfur, Realgar, Tripterygium Wilfordii, Belladonna, Veratrum Nigrum, Toad Cake.
4. List of Substances Confirmed as NOT Ordinary Food
These substances are explicitly excluded from being classified as ordinary food in China. They often fall under pharmaceuticals, require specific control measures, or are limited to certain approved applications.
- Gold Foil / Gold Powder, Silver Foil / Silver Powder, Wild Licorice, Ephedra, Cistanche and Snow Lotus and their products, Bear Bile Powder and Creatine, Activated Carbon, Sea Pig Powder, Pomegranate Extract, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil, Sheep Placenta, Lotus Plumule, Lotus Plumule Extract, L-Arginine, Cordyceps Sinensis, Cod Liver Oil, Broken Ganoderma Lucidum Spore Powder, Deer Horn Glue, Tortoise Shell Glue, Lavender, Soy Isoflavones, Taiwanofungus Camphoratus, Snow Chrysanthemum, Pomegranate Seed, Peach Blossom, Cherry Blossom (Salted Cherry Blossom) — with the exception of Prunus Laurocerasus.
5. List of Substances Confirmed as ORDINARY FOOD
These items have been officially recognised as ordinary food or food ingredients, making their import and sale potentially less complicated from a regulatory standpoint, provided they meet general food safety standards.
- Natto (fermented with Bacillus subtilis), White Potentilla Fruticosa, Oxhide Gelatin, Trehalose, Radix Fici Simplicissimae, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, Burdock Root, Fructo-Oligosaccharide, Sea Buckthorn Leaf, Tempeh (fermented with Rhizopus oryzae from soybeans), Ilex Kudingcha, Corn Silk, Resistant Dextrin, Gynura Procumbens, Barley Leaves, By-products of farmed Sika Deer (excluding antler, fetuses, and bones), Tamarind, Rose (Rosa rugosa cv. Plena), Mesona Chinensis (Hsian-Tsao Herb), Acerola Cherry Fruit, Stachyose, Ligustrum Robustum Kuding Tea, Rapeseed Pollen, Corn Pollen, Pine Pollen, Sunflower Pollen, Chinese Milk Vetch Pollen, Buckwheat Pollen, Sesame Pollen, Sorghum Pollen, Konjac, Spirulina Platensis, Spirulina Maxima, Rosa Roxburghii, Roselle, Silk Worm Chrysalis, Cynanchum Auriculatum, Cactus Pear Fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica (Linn.) Mill., Milpa Alta variety), Dietary Fiber, Wheat Seedling, Potassium Caseinate, Calcium Caseinate, Magnesium Caseinate, Seeds of vegetables and fruits (traditionally edible parts, not purified or concentrated), Polydextrose, Kushui Rose, Cuttlefish Powder, Prunella Vulgaris (as a herbal tea ingredient), Microcos Paniculata (as a herbal tea ingredient), Frangipani (as a herbal tea ingredient), Flaxseed (for direct consumption), and White Kidney Bean Extract.
A Note for International Trade: The Chinese classification system (Food, Health Food, Medicine-Food Item) may not align with the regulations in your target market. An item classified as "ordinary food" in China might still require a novel food application in the EU, for example. Always verify the local compliance requirements before listing any product.