TCM product naming regulations could cost manufacturers billions

Thousands of traditional Chinese medicine products face having their names changed due to a draft regulation issued last month by the China Food and Drug Administration, with the deadline for submissions on the guideline falling on Wednesday.

By May last year, about 1,000 people had left comments on the e-shopping site Amazon praising Mayinglong Musk Hemorrhoids Ointment Cream, describing it as "fantastic" and "like applying rose-colored ice cream to your bum".

However, it is one of thousands of products that falls foul of the draft naming rules, which state that TCM products should not be named after people, places or companies, or use superstitious or vulgar words.