Seventeen percent of the sampled traditional Chinese medicine were substandard, according to the latest national survey of drugs quality launched by the State Food and Drug Administration Monday.

The administration inspected 17 national traditional medicine markets during the fourth quarter of 2004. Among the 2,455 samples involving 86 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine, 425 samples, or 17 percent, were substandard in terms of contents, properties and impurity.

About 77 percent of 15 kinds of commonly-taken traditional Chinese medicine are qualified, according to the survey.

The administration has urged local provincial food and drug departments to punish the producers of the substandard medicine and strengthen inspection, reported Beijing Youth Daily, citing an official with the administration.

Source: Xinhua