Department of Health
GCMTI is dedicated to establishing internationally recognised reference standards for CMs and their testing methods, ensuring the quality and safe use of CMs. GCMTI not only provides staunch support for the CMs sector, but is also an important pillar for Hong Kong to promote the modernisation and internationalisation of CMs.
GCMTI has launched the Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines (DHCM) （www.cmherbarium.gov.hk), the world’s first online herbarium of its kind that provides comprehensive information on CMs. DHCM encompasses data on plant specimens, specimens of medicinal materials, microscopic slides, as well as chemical information and DNA information, establishing the traceability between medicinal materials and their species origins through scientific analysis.
GCMTI has digitised hundreds of specimens of commonly used CMs and their source plants into a digital collection of high-resolution pictures and related information, which are systemically exhibited through DHCM. This innovative project employs cutting-edge photogrammetry techniques to achieve three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction of specimens of medicinal materials. DHCM is a free resource that can be easily accessed by the public, the CM sector, testing and certification industry, as well as the professionals from education and research institutions at anytime and anywhere.
GCMTI places great emphasis on building a talented workforce, drawing together elite professionals from multidisciplinary backgrounds. This includes CMs experts, pharmacists, chemists, scientific officers, as well as specialists in plant taxonomy, pharmacognosy, toxicology, and DNA research. Their collective expertise is essential to driving the future development of CMs by continuously injecting momentum.
GCMTI’s outstanding performance has been highly recognised by the industry, winning the Testing and Certification Manpower Development Corporate Award (Platinum Award) organised by the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification in 2023-24 and 2025-26. These awards give recognition to GCMTI’s excellent achievements and efforts in talent training and professional development.
As one of the two flagship institutions for CM development in Hong Kong, GCMTI’s permanent premises have commenced phased operations from December 2025. The permanent premises are located in Pak Shing Kok, Tseung Kwan O, covering approximately 17 200 square metres and equipped with advanced laboratories, Chinese Medicines Herbarium Laboratories (CMHL), an International Collaboration and Training Centre, and a 700-square-metre medicinal plant garden – Shennong Herbal Garden.
GCMTI is dedicated to promoting CM culture and knowledge to the world for the inheritance and wider use of CM. CMHL systematically display the entire lifecycle of CMs, from the source plants and crude medicinal materials to the clinically used decoction pieces and proprietary CMs. These specimens are authenticated by authoritative experts, and their traceability is established through collecting both source plants and medicinal materials from the same geographical area, so as to achieve the goal of “clarifying the source and identity of genuine CMs”. CMHL feature a transparent glass partition design, allowing visitors to gain a thorough understanding of the processes of specimen preparation and maintenance.
The Shennong Herbal Garden is Hong Kong’s first medicinal plant garden featuring predominantly medicinal plants of Lingnan characteristics. It is systematically divided into nine zones based on the functions of various medicinal plants, with approximately 180 species of them. The Garden highlights two main themes - “Herbal Teas” and “Soups”, illustrating the CM culture with Hong Kong and Lingnan characteristics. CMHL and the Garden are open to the public for guided tours by appointment.
GCMTI’s permanent premises are equipped with technology transfer laboratories and multipurpose conference rooms for hosting academic conferences, technology seminars, and professional training activities. The goal is to foster knowledge exchange and technology transfer between the industry and academia. GCMTI will transform cutting-edge CMs testing standards and methods into practical quality control solutions, assisting the industry in enhancing product quality and competitiveness and further establishing Hong Kong as a leading international hub in CMs testing and quality control.
With innovation and professionalism, GCMTI will continue to promote the high-quality development of CM and to assist in its global advancement.
