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To ensure the quality of traditional Chinese medicine, China will officially implement a set of regulations to standardize the production of traditional medicinal materials from June 1, according to a top official with the State Drug Administration (SDA).

Bai Huiliang, director of the SDA's safety supervision department, revealed recently at a seminar on the development of Chinese medicine in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province.

Analysts say that the regulations would guarantee from the outset of production the quality of traditional Chinese medicine in China, its birthplace, and promote exports.

The regulations impose strict quality standards on the growing,gathering, packaging and transporting of traditional Chinese medicinal crops and materials, plus tight controls on pesticide residues and heavy metal levels, according to the SDA official.

Chinese herbal medicines worldwide fetch some 15 billion U.S. dollars on the international market each year, but products from China account for only about three percent of the total. "Lack of standardization is the major cause," said the official.