Sales of Miao ethnic drugs reached 15 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) in Guizhou province last year.

"The development of Guizhou's TCM has benefited from its advantages in resources and environment. As a multicultural province, Guizhou owns a number of ethnic drugs with a long history and exact ingredients", said Qin Shuijie, deputy director of the provincial Science and Technology Department at a press conference on Tuesday.

Qin said the pharmaceutical industry has become one of five main industries driving the province's economic growth, accounting for 20 percent of its high-tech industry.