“Brazil also has many natural biological products; Brazilian propolis, for example, is widely known as a natural aspirin. Brazilians are very interested in traditional Chinese medicine, but in the past they mostly came into contact with physical therapies such as acupuncture,” said Shao Yuanyuan, editor-in-chief of Brazil Chinese Network, after visiting the world’s largest Periplaneta americana breeding base on Oct. 16. Seeing Chinese medicine preparations made from Periplaneta americana this time, she believes such products will be very attractive to Brazilians.
Overseas Chinese media representatives visit Good Doctor Group during the “Journey Through China · 2026 Overseas Chinese-Language Media Trip to Sichuan.” Photo by Wang LeiOn that day, the “Journey Through China · 2026 Overseas Chinese-Language Media Trip to Sichuan” came to Good Doctor Group, where heads and reporters from 20 overseas Chinese-language media organizations in various countries visited the world’s largest GAP-certified breeding base for Periplaneta americana, an insect-based medicinal material, and learned about the industrial story behind standardized breeding of medicinal materials, modern research and development of Chinese medicine and the industrialization of traditional Chinese medicine.
The group is a large enterprise integrating science, industry and trade, with a pharmaceutical business at its core and all-round development of the “big health” industry. It is devoted to the research, development and industrialized production of Chinese patent medicines and biopharmaceuticals, and has built a product chain around Kangfuxin Liquid, establishing breeding, production and research and development systems. It has also formed industry-academia-research cooperation with more than 20 well-known universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sichuan University, Zhejiang University, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Macau University of Science and Technology, and has been listed among the “Top 100 Chinese Pharmaceutical Industrial Enterprises” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology since 2011.
Overseas Chinese media representatives focus on Periplaneta americana. Photo by Wang Lei“The raw material of Kangfuxin Liquid is Periplaneta americana. Although it belongs to the same family as the cockroaches commonly seen in people’s homes, it is the only species in the family that can be used as medicine,” said Wen Jianguo, plant manager of Sichuan Good Doctor Panxi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. About 22 billion Periplaneta americana are bred in the facility; they are fed milk powder after birth and a nutritious meal as they grow. Their extract helps repair wounds and can be used to treat gastric ulcers, oral ulcers, burns and scalds, among other conditions.
Wen Jianguo said the digital intelligent breeding workshop for Periplaneta americana simulates the ecological environment, automatically and precisely controlling indoor conditions such as light, temperature, humidity and bacterial counts to achieve sterile breeding, thereby ensuring the safety, stability and yield of the raw materials.
At the site, several overseas Chinese-language media representatives tried eating Periplaneta americana that had just molted. Because the new shell has not yet become keratinized, the insect is milky white, soft to the touch and carries a milky aroma at this stage, when the content of active restorative substances is relatively high.
Overseas Chinese media representatives visit the quality inspection center. Photo by Wang LeiHuang Mei, deputy publisher of Correo Chino de Europa of Spain, said she felt nervous when she first reached out to touch Periplaneta americana, but still wanted to give it a bold try. “Following the staff’s instructions, I ate the first one and the texture was unexpectedly soft; then I tasted a second one and the flavor was quite good, with a creamy aroma.” Huang Mei joked that she even wanted to keep trying at the time.
According to the introduction, this GAP breeding base for Periplaneta americana is the first animal-drug breeding base in China certified by the National Medical Products Administration. Kangfuxin Liquid, now a major Chinese patent medicine product, is also the first Chinese patent medicine for wound repair approved for marketing in Canada.
Shao Yuanyuan, who had previously heard friends recommend Kangfuxin Liquid, praised the company after her on-site visit, saying it is remarkable that the enterprise has turned Periplaneta americana into standardized, industrialized products.
“For distinctive insect-based medicinal materials such as Periplaneta americana, overseas audiences need to visit the base in person to gradually understand and accept related products; this is a step-by-step process. I hope to record it with my camera so that people overseas can intuitively see the whole industry,” Huang Mei said. Sichuan’s traditional Chinese medicine has a profound heritage and outstanding strength, and external communication needs to be continuously strengthened. As overseas Chinese-language media, she will actively promote it and tell the story of traditional Chinese medicine innovation well to overseas audiences.