The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly gave their congratulations to Tu Youyou on winning the Nobel Prize on October 5.

According to the congratulatory message, Tu and her research team have focused on the prevention and treatment of malaria for decades. Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its classic Manual of Clinical Practice and Emergency Remedies by TCM master Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-340), Tu and her team used modern technology to extract Artemisinin from traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in the developing world. The discovery of Artemisinin is considered to be a milestone of world anti-malarial history.

The message also said that Tu’s winning shows international medical circles’ deep concern about research into TCM for its significant contributions to human health. The discovery of Artemisinin demonstrates Chinese scientists’ academic spirit and innovation, which is the pride of China’s medical and healthcare sector.