China Food-Medicine Homology Online Sales: CN¥56.78B in 2024
By Jessie Wang
5 min read
Executive Summary#
China's online food-medicine homology market reached CN¥ 56.78 billion in 2024 across the country's leading e-commerce marketplaces, growing 5.2% year on year (YoY) on a sales volume of 720 million units. The growth came as more consumers took up the wellness principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Beneath the headline figure, demand is shifting from premium traditional tonics toward affordable, condition-specific products, and that shift is changing the competitive landscape. Average selling prices fell to CN¥ 78.4 as nearly 170,000 merchants competed across 2.55 million SKUs (individual product listings).
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A CN¥ 56.78 Billion Market Built on Cultural Heritage#
The food-medicine homology concept covers ingredients that serve both nutritional and medicinal purposes, as classified by China's National Health Commission. Nearly half of Chinese consumers (49%) express high interest in TCM health care approaches, and a further 28% are willing to try them, which gives a combined addressable market of 77%.
Consumers' health concerns match the way TCM ingredients are positioned. Low energy affects 42% of consumers, followed by mood concerns (38%) and sleep problems (36%), and these lifestyle-related conditions drive demand for qi and blood nourishment ingredients such as ginseng, astragalus and sour jujube seed.
The market's growth reflects this cultural resonance, but its structure is changing. Average selling prices fell from CN¥ 92.3 in 2022 to CN¥ 78.4 in 2024 as new entrants competed on price, while product SKUs increased 45.7% to 2.55 million and the number of merchants approached 170,000 as niche brands entered the market at accessible price points.
Demographic Shifts Signal Market Expansion#
The consumer base is going through a generational shift that we believe will shape the market's next phase. Women account for over 65% of food-medicine homology social media attention. The share of consumers under 35 increased by 4.1 percentage points, with the 26-30 and 31-35 age groups accounting for most of that increase.
The market therefore offers two distinct opportunities. Consumers aged 50 and over remain the largest single age group at 19.3% and sustain demand for premium traditional tonics, while younger consumers prefer ready-to-eat formats and products that have been validated on social media and carry accessible health claims.
Geographically, Tier 1 and new Tier 1 cities still account for over 60% of the market, but lower-tier cities are gaining ground. Tier 5 cities increased their share of total attention from 5.7% to 6.8%.
Ingredients Gaining and Losing Ground#
Among the leading ingredients by sales, astragalus grew 75.2% YoY, followed by chicken's gizzard-membrane (ji nei jin) at +55.0%, polygonatum at +45.6% and angelica at +42.5%. These emerging ingredients are sold for a range of health concerns, from qi nourishment to digestive health.
At the other end, ginseng and garden ginseng fell 48.8% and cordyceps fell 30.6% across the marketplaces covered. Both are premium-priced ingredients historically tied to luxury tonic gifting, and we believe their decline shows consumers moving toward more accessible, condition-specific alternatives.
Health Segments: Where Chronic Condition Demand Drives Growth#
Three health segments show how the market's growth is concentrated in specific conditions.
The "three highs" segment (hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia) passed CN¥ 4.5 billion, growing 14.9% YoY, nearly three times the overall market rate. The high blood sugar sub-segment alone reached over CN¥ 1.5 billion, growing 25.7% YoY, and within this segment honeysuckle (+131.2%) and cinnamon (+98.9%) recorded the fastest ingredient growth.
The liver care segment exceeded CN¥ 9.1 billion, growing 6.6% YoY, which makes it the second-largest health segment. White peony root grew 210.8% YoY, which points to consumers moving from Western-origin liver supplements toward TCM alternatives.
The sleep aid segment reached CN¥ 624 million, and chrysanthemum (+181.8%) and schisandra (+178.5%) have widened the range of ingredients in it beyond the established sour jujube seed.
Product Format Innovation Expands the Addressable Market#
New products are taking the food-medicine homology market beyond traditional tonics. Social media discussion of ready-to-eat tonics rose 86.7% YoY, which suggests demand for convenient formats. Products that combine TCM ingredients with bakery, tea beverages and prepared meals are bringing them into categories with much larger consumer bases.
Gift box tonic sales grew 22.3% YoY, nearly three times the +7.6% growth of the overall tonic market. Brands such as Dong'e Ejiao (东阿阿胶) use cultural IP and premium packaging to reach the high-value gift market. The Taohua Ji series, inspired by the classical "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (Shanhai Jing), shows how cultural storytelling supports price premiums in this segment.
Related Insights#
- Breakout Ingredients Reshaping China's Food-Medicine Homology Market
- Ready-to-Eat Tonics and Gift Boxes Drive China's TCM Product Revolution
About the Data#
This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence's proprietary transaction data from major Chinese online platforms. Ingredient classification references the National Health Commission's official food-medicine homology ingredient lists. Social media metrics derive from analysis of consumer discussions across mainstream Chinese platforms. All growth rates are calculated on a year-on-year basis using consistent category definitions across the 2022-2024 period.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
CN¥ 56.78 billion in 2024, up 5.2% year on year on 720 million units. Average selling prices fell from CN¥ 92.3 in 2022 to CN¥ 78.4 in 2024 as new entrants competed on price, while the number of SKUs (individual product listings) rose 45.7% to 2.55 million and the number of merchants approached 170,000 as niche brands entered the market.
Broadly receptive: 49% of consumers express high interest in traditional Chinese medicine health approaches and a further 28% are willing to try them, which gives a combined addressable base of 77%. The concerns they name are lifestyle-related, with low energy affecting 42% of consumers, mood concerns 38% and sleep problems 36%, and these are the concerns for which qi and blood nourishment ingredients such as ginseng, astragalus and sour jujube seed are positioned.
Among the leading ingredients by sales, astragalus grew 75.2%, chicken's gizzard-membrane (ji nei jin) 55.0%, polygonatum 45.6% and angelica 42.5%, while ginseng fell 48.8% and cordyceps 30.6% across the marketplaces covered. The two that fell are premium-priced ingredients historically tied to luxury tonic gifting, and the four that grew are accessible and sold for specific health concerns, so we believe consumers are moving toward ingredients chosen for a named concern.
Segments tied to chronic conditions are growing faster than the market. The "three highs" segment (hypertension, hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia) passed CN¥ 4.5 billion, up 14.9%, nearly three times the overall market rate. Its high blood sugar sub-segment alone passed CN¥ 1.5 billion, up 25.7%, and honeysuckle (+131.2%) and cinnamon (+98.9%) were the fastest-growing ingredients in it. Liver care is the second-largest segment at CN¥ 9.1 billion (+6.6%), and white peony root grew 210.8% within it. Sleep aid reached CN¥ 624 million, and chrysanthemum (+181.8%) and schisandra (+178.5%) have widened it beyond sour jujube seed.
