Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is becoming increasingly prominent in the culinary sector, with TCM-infused teas, coffees, and ice creams gaining widespread popularity in recent years.

Jinan boasts 20,600 TCM health maintenance enterprises, the seventh-most of any city in the country and showing strong growth potential. In addition, Shandong leads with 138,500 TCM health maintenance companies, while nationwide, there are 1.03 million such businesses.

According to business data provider Qichacha, the number of registered TCM health maintenance companies in China has been steadily increasing over the past decade. From 2014 to 2019, annual growth rates ranged from 22 percent to 64 percent. In 2020 and 2021, heightened consumer awareness of TCM boosted registrations by 157 percent and 162.2 percent, respectively. This momentum continued in 2022 and 2023, with increases of 26.8 percent and 53 percent year-on-year, making 2023's registrations 13 times higher than the same period in 2019. The first half of 2024 saw continued growth, with 213,800 new registrations, up 28.1 percent year-on-year.

The "TCM and food" trend also reflects young people's enthusiasm for wellness. According to a report on Gen Z's nutrition consumption trends, young adults aged 18 to 35 now make up 83.7 percent of the health and wellness consumer market.

As TCM ingredients are incorporated into popular foods, combining health benefits with taste, sales are skyrocketing.