Tongrentang’s Decoction Pieces Are Already Sky-High Expensive

As everyone knows, Beijing Tongrentang has dominated the traditional Chinese medicine industry for centuries with its core business philosophy of fair and honest dealings. The television drama Da Zhai Men conveyed many upright values associated with the brand, and it has long been regarded by ordinary people as a trustworthy name.

TCM therapies have carried the label of being “simple, effective, convenient, and affordable” for decades — a notion that has truly taken root in people’s minds. While TCM does possess unique advantages compared to most Western medical treatments, that last word — “affordable” — has become increasingly difficult to justify after multiple epidemics over the past two decades.

Compared with Western medicine, where surgeries and rehabilitation can easily run into the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, acupuncture and herbal decoctions are indeed quite cheap. Over the past five years, the median daily cost of the herbal prescriptions I’ve written has been roughly 20 yuan — about 600 yuan per month, or 7,200 yuan per year. Most people certainly wouldn’t consume that much. Compared with Western medicine, this figure is sometimes an advantage and sometimes not. Against chemotherapy and targeted therapy drugs, herbal medicine is quite cost-effective. But compared with antihypertensive, antidiabetic, or lipid-lowering pills that cost mere pennies a day, Chinese herbal medicine is absurdly expensive.

Recently, I’ve been extremely busy and overworked. I started feeling unwell two weeks ago, and a week ago my symptoms suddenly worsened. I had no time to get medicine from my hospital, so — wanting to avoid counterfeit drugs — I rushed to the nearest Tongrentang pharmacy and had three doses of a prescription filled. The clerk asked whether I wanted premium or regular grade; naturally, I chose regular. Two doses and I was already feeling better. Today at work, it suddenly dawned on me that this medicine shouldn’t have been that expensive. I hurriedly got the prescription priced elsewhere. What I found was staggering: among China’s time-honored brands, Tongrentang’s prices were at least 10% higher — simply outrageous.

Those outside the industry may not fully grasp the pricing dynamics. In Beijing, herbal medicine from top-tier public hospitals is generally the cheapest. Clinics tend to be somewhat pricier, private hospitals’ premium herbs are especially expensive, and Tongrentang’s premium grade is typically the most expensive of all. I would never deny that Tongrentang’s premium herbs are good quality — they genuinely look excellent, and I believe they’re worth the price. But your regular-grade herbs are far too expensive as well, now basically matching the price of premium-grade herbs from elsewhere.

Some might say: isn’t buying from Tongrentang all about peace of mind? To that, I can only respond with a wry smile. If a steamed bun worth one yuan can be sold for five or eight yuan because Beijing’s rent and labor costs are high, and if historical cachet and brand trust can justify ten yuan — I can understand that. But if you insist on charging twenty and still call it an “honest price for the common people,” is that really acceptable? Besides, most Tongrentang pharmacies today don’t even process their own herbs. The exact same products — why should they be so much more expensive at your store? Are you taking advantage of poor folks like me?

Beijing’s pharmaceutical regulation is quite strict, so the chance of buying counterfeit medicine is relatively small. There is a real possibility of encountering substandard or defective products, but what worries me most is encountering a pharmacist who doesn’t know their herbs — someone who can’t even identify the medicines and grabs the wrong ones. This is unfortunately quite common. Directly-operated Tongrentang stores are genuinely more professional in this regard, but that is still no justification for their inflated prices.

同仁堂中药饮片已经贵到离谱

众所周知，北京同仁堂以童叟无欺为核心经营理念驰骋中药行业数百年，在艺术作品大宅门系列中传递了颇多正直的价值观念，一向被老百姓认为是值得信赖的好品牌。

中医药疗法被贴上”简、效、便、廉”的标签已有数十年，不得不说深入人心，纵然与西医多数诊疗方法相比，中医药具有相当独特的优势，但是”简、效、便、廉”的”廉”在近二十年多次疫情后已经基本体现不到了。

与西医动辄几千上万几十万的手术费用康复费用相比，扎针灸喝中药确实足够便宜，本人近五年开出的中药方每天花费中位数大约20元左右，喝一个月平均六百元，一年平均7200元，大部分人肯定是喝不到那么多的。这个数字与西医相比，有时占优势有时占劣势。譬如跟化疗药靶向药相比，喝中药是相当划算的，但是跟一天几毛钱的降压药降糖药降血脂药相比，中药简直贵到离谱。

最近事务繁忙，异常劳累，自两周前便觉不适，一周前突然加重，已然没空去单位开药了，本着不想喝到假药的心态赶紧找了最近的同仁堂抓了三副药，售货员问要精品要普通，当然是普通，喝了两幅便好。今天上班突然缓过味来，这个药按理说不应该这么贵，赶紧拿方子划了个价，不看不要紧，同样是中华老字号，同仁堂的药贵出了至少10%，简直离谱。

不是圈内的人可能不太理解价格的问题，在北京这个地方，三甲医院的中药往往最便宜，医馆的药一般都偏贵，私立医院的精品药尤其贵，同仁堂的精品药一般最贵。我从来不否认同仁堂的精品药不好，那看上去确实好，我觉得也值那个价，但是您这普通药也太贵了，已经基本赶超外地精品药的价格了。

有人会说，去同仁堂买药不就图个安心么，这我就只能说呵呵了。一个价值一块钱的馒头你说北京店面租金人工贵，可以卖到五块八块的，你再有个情怀有个历史价值有个牌子让人安心可以卖到十块，咱也理解，可你非要卖到20，还说这是给老百姓的良心价，这行么？再说了，现在绝大多数同仁堂药店的药也不是自己加工的药，一样的东西凭什么就在你那卖哪么贵，欺负我穷么？

北京的药品管理相当严格，买到假药的可能性比较小，买到产假和残次品的概率确实有，但是最怕的是卖药的不懂药，连药都不认识瞎抓一气卖给你，这是比较常见的，直营的同仁堂在这个方面确实比较专业，但这也不是价格高的理由。