as-salamu'alaykum niz0302
yes, EuYanSang is now halal, you can now go for your treatment
without fear:
http://www.singaporehalaldirectory.com
2007: TRADITIONAL
Chinese Medicine (TCM) just got a further boost in reaching out to
Muslim customers.
Last month, Science Arts, a
home-grown maker of TCM products, obtained halal certification from
the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) for 19 of its
medicinal products.
These items, including lingzhi and
bilberry capsules, are taken to treat ailments from joint aches to
high cholesterol and diabetes (see other story).
Even before they received the
halal okay, there have been other health products which have been
similarly certified.
TCM chain Eu Yan Sang, for
example, sells Essence of Chicken and Essence of Fish, both of
which are halal-certified by the Islamic authorities in
Malaysia.
Halal is Arabic for permissible by
Muslim law, and goods must be certified halal before they can be
consumed by Muslims.
A product is non-halal if it
contains, for example, certain animal parts, or if alcohol is
involved in the production process.
Science Arts is the first maker of
TCM products that has got the halal nod from Muis. The
certification is recognised by Muslims worldwide.
Ingrelife, Singapore's first halal
TCM store in Geylang Serai Temporary Market, has sold an average of
5,000 TCM products each month since it opened in March last year,
mainly to Malay customers but to some Chinese ones as
well.
Mr Rhazaly Noentil, who runs
Ingrelife, says that with the new halal certificates, sales are
expected to increase, although he cannot tell by how much
yet.
He says that TCM is basically the
same as jamu - traditional Indonesian herbal medicine, 'but TCM is
a certified science by Chinese universities while jamu is not
something you formally study'.
'We just want to stress the
importance of health and introduce TCM as an alternative to Western
medicine,' he adds.
Science Arts' halal products are
also sold in traditional Chinese medical halls such as Beijing Tong
Ren Tang in South Bridge Road.
To be sure, TCM is not new to
Muslims here. They have been using products like Tiger Balm to
relieve aches, says Mr Rhazaly.
The number of Muslim TCM users is
rising due to the wider range and availability of halal-certified
products from other countries such as Malaysia and
China.
Mr Rhazaly says roadshows done by
Science Arts at various mosques in the past three years have won
over an estimated 2,000 Muslims to TCM.
Muslims seeking treatment at its
TCM clinic in MacPherson Road now make up about 6 per cent of
Science Arts' total clientele, says its president Tan Lee
Huak.
Mr Koh Chong Cher, a physician at
Cheng Hong Medical Centre, a free TCM clinic in Eunos Crescent,
estimates Malays make up 3 per cent of his 900 patients each
month.
Ingrelife sees between 10 and 20
people - some first-timers, some regulars - every day, says store
operator Zarimah Mohamad.
Take Mr Abdul Karim, 52, who
popped into Ingrelife at noon last Friday to have his blood
checked. He suffers from diabetes and hopes that the cordyceps
sinensis, which Madam Zarimah has recommended, will help lower his
blood glucose level.
'I've been taking jamu but it is
quite heaty. I am giving TCM a try because my wife recommended it
to me,' he says.
Science Arts is now conducting
study trips in the Middle East with trade promotion agency IE
Singapore as it hopes to export its halal-certified TCM products to
cities like Doha and Dubai.
But before it does that, it must
change the product packaging to include Malay or Arabic
explanations and instructions.
Currently, the packaging features
only English and Chinese instructions and a stick-on label of what
the product is for in Malay.
Science Arts is also working on
increasing the number of products for halal
certification.
Says Mr Tan: 'Eventually, we don't
just hope to explore the Middle East. We also hope our products
will reach Muslims all over the world.'
may you be blessed with good
health
wa'alaykum-asalam
