A total of 18,817 varieties of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) drug materials have been identified in China in the latest national survey of TCM resources, relevant sources revealed on Friday.

Guo Lanping, head of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences' Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, said that the varieties include 3,151 TCM herbs that are unique to China. The survey also found that there are 464 varieties of drug materials that need to be protected.

A total of 196 new species were also discovered in the course of the survey, about 100 of which are believed to have potential medicinal use, according to Guo.

China began its fourth national survey of TCM resources in 2011. Based on the findings of the survey, a catalog of China's TCM resources has been compiled, and the country has built a database of relevant information.

(Cover image via VCG)