MEDICINAL PLANT RESOURCES IN SOUTHWEST CHINA, AND THEIR EXPLOITATION AND UTILIZATION
西南药用植物资源及其开发利用

In Southwest China, the raw materials for making the traditional Chinese medicine are famous at home and abroad because of the richness of their varieties, high quality, large quantity and long history. The producing regions are traditionally known as "Chuan (Sichuan)-Guang (Guangdong and Guangxi)-Yun (Yunnan)-Gui(Guizhou)". There are about 5750 species of medicinal plants there, which account for eighty percent of the sum total of these resources in whole country. Almost all the original plants of crude drugs and all the medicinal plants for curing verious kinds of diseases can be found in the Southwest. Indeed,the Southwest is a treasure-house for developing new natural drugs and healthkeeping medicinces.