A Study on the Status of Traditional Herbal Medicine Products in the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry Over the Past 40 Years

Hobeom Kim; Sungyong Kim; Hyeun-kyoo Shin; Kim, Hobeom; Kim, Sungyong; Shin, Hyeun-kyoo

doi:10.13048/jkm.25028

JKM > Volume 46(2); 2025 > Article

Kim, Kim, and Shin: A Study on the Status of Traditional Herbal Medicine Products in the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry Over the Past 40 Years

Review Article

The Journal of Korean Medicine 2025; 46(2): 190-205.

Published online: June 1, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.25028

A Study on the Status of Traditional Herbal Medicine Products in the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry Over the Past 40 Years

Hobeom Kim¹

, Sungyong Kim¹

, Hyeun-kyoo Shin²^{, *}

¹Neutinamu Herb Pharmacy of Wellspring Hope

²KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine

Correspondence to: Hyeun-kyoo Shin, KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-42-868-9464, E-mail: hkshin@kiom.re.kr

Received April 14, 2025 Revised May 20, 2025 Accepted May 23, 2025

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate and analyze long-term trends in the production of traditional herbal medicine products within the Korean pharmaceutical industry. The findings are intended to provide foundational data for policy development to revitalize the herbal medicine market.

Methods

Production and market data for traditional herbal medicine products in the Korean pharmaceutical industry over the past 40 years (1980–2020) were collected and analyzed. The primary data source, obtained from the official “Production Performance Table of Pharmaceutical Products, etc.” (Excel electronic data), was analyzed using Tableau software.

Results

The total production value of traditional herbal medicine products in Korea reached 360.8 billion KRW in 2023. Of this, the four herbal medicine products—Woohwangchungsim-won, Kyeongok-go, Gongjin-dan, and Ssanghwa-tang—accounted for 197.9 billion KRW (54.8%). Insurance-covered single (67 types) and mixed (42 types) herbal extracts contributed 49.8 billion KRW (13.8%), while other herbal medicine products comprised 113.1 billion KRW (31.3%). Over the past four decades, the herbal medicine industry and its product indicators have remained largely stagnant without significant growth. However, there has been an increase in the production of insurance-covered herbal medicine products and a noticeable shift in preferred dosage forms from dried extracts to soft extracts. Currently, the market is dominated by the aforementioned four herbal medicine products.

Conclusions

Despite remarkable advances in the Korean pharmaceutical industry overall, the traditional herbal medicine sector has remained stagnant. The market size has lingered below 400 billion KRW for an extended period, and a few specific herbal medicines account for more than half of total sales. The complexity of professional roles and detailed pharmaceutical classifications has led to excessive social costs associated with herbal medicine-based pharmaceuticals. Without innovative institutional reforms, the prospects of the herbal pharmaceutical industry and market remain uncertain.

Keywords: pharmaceutical industry, herbal medicine, traditional herbal medicine products, Woohwangchungsim-won, Ssanghwa-tang

Fig. 1

Annual Number and Rankings of Traditional Herbal Medicine Products Among the Top 100 Pharmaceutical Products by Production Amount

Note: In 1980, three traditional herbal medicine products were included in the top 100, with Woohwangcheongsim-won ranked 28th, and Ssanghwa-tang ranked 8th, and 40th.

Table 1

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Guidelines

Criteria	Content
Inclusion	- Items approved for manufacturing based on herbal prescriptions listed in 10 existing traditional herbal medicine books
	- Items confirmed to be composed of herbal materials only, excluding additives, and herbal medicine prescriptions or modified herbal medicine prescriptions
	- Items with product names similar to synthetic drugs but confirmed to be herbal medicine prescriptions
Exclusion	- Items not approved for manufacturing based on herbal medicine prescriptions listed in 10 existing traditional herbal medicine books
	- Items confirmed to be composed of herbal materials only, excluding additives, but whose sources cannot be confirmed (e.g., Gyeongsin-hwan, Gyeongwi-dan, Baekcho Syrup Plus, Benachio, Leemyeongrae-Goyak, etc.),
	- Items whose composition consists of herbal medicines and synthetic compounds (e.g., Galgeun-tang or Ssanghwa-tang + acetaminophen, Hwalmyeong-su, etc.),
	- Herbal medicine products developed using herbal materials from a Western medical perspective

Table 2

Population and Medical Professional Manpower at Five-Year Intervals (1980–2020)

Year	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015	2020
Population	38,123,775	40,805,744	42,869,283	45,092,991	47,008,111	48,184,561	49,554,112	51,014,947	51,836,239
Population Aged 65 and Over (%)	1,456,003 (3.8)	1,741,849 (4.3)	2,195,084 (5.1)	2,656,652 (5.9)	3,394,896 (7.2)	4,320,787 (9.0)	5,366,109 (10.8)	6,541,168 (12.8)	8,151,867 (15.7)
Doctor	22,564	29,596	42,554	57,188	72,503	85,279	101,371	115,976	129,242
Pharmacists	24,951	30,248	37,118	43,269	50,623	54,829	60,956	65,510	72,530
- Herbal Medicine Pharmacists	-	-	-	37	26,190	26,269	26,191	25,674	25,101
Traditional Doctor	3,015	3,789	5,792	8,714	12,108	15,200	19,065	23,178	26,096
Traditional Pharmacists	-	-	-		89	805	1,513	2,193	2,779
Herbal Medicine Seller	-	2,830	2,476	2,244	1,903	1,778	1,346	842	664

Table 3

Number, Production Amounts, and Other Key Indicators of Pharmaceutical and Traditional Herbal Medicine Products at Five-Year Intervals and for 2023 (Unit: number, 100 million Korean won)

Year	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2023
No. of Pharmaceutical Products	16,497	24,084	12,694	13,990	18,422	23,374	15,973	17,907	21,226	21,506
Total Amount	6,250	14,476	31,870	65,600	71,359	105,985	142,346	148,560	210,235	268,706
Pharmaceutical Sales/1 Person (won)	-	-	-	-		356,295 (2008Y)	411,308	485,194	628,077	742,493 (2022Y)
No. of THMs Prescription/ THMPs		159/839 (1984Y)	179/1,409 (1992Y)	-	258/1,924(2003Y)	255/1,717	220/1,296	193/1,050	161/761	141/676
Total Amount of THMPs	-	-	-	-	1,760 (2003Y)	1,442	1,467	1,826	2,742	3,608
No. of Prescription/ THMPs in Insurance	-	-	-	-	56/447 (2003Y)	56/424	56/403	53/256	44/265	42/239
Amount of THMPs in Insurance (Single/Single Combination)	-	-	-	-	309 (19/257) (2003Y)	200 (8/192)	220 (2/218)	289 (12/277)	370 (22/348)	498 (27/471)
- Amount of Soft Formulation	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8.7 (2016Y)	183	265
Company-THMPs Name of Top 1 in THMPs (Amount)	KD-SWT (39)	KD-SWT (84)	SP-WHCSW (293)	KD-SWT (362)	SP-WHCSW (118)	SP-WHCSW (97)	KD-WHCSW (92)	IS-GJD (164)	KD-KOG (234)	KD-WHCSW (292)
Drug Name of Top 1 in HMPs (Amount)	-	-	-	-	-	Stllen Tab. (162)	Stllen Tab. (894)	Stllen Tab. (399)	Joins Tab. (531)	Joins Tab. (601)
Consumer Price Index of THMs		-	-	-	-	68.55	72.69	84.475	100.00	112.82

GJD: Gongjin-dan, HMPs: Herbal Medicine Products, IS: Iksu, KD: Kwangdong, KOG: Kyeongok-go, SP: Solpyo, SWT: Ssangwha-tang, THMs: Traditional Herbal Medicines, THMPs: Traditional Herbal Medicine Products, WHCSW: Woohwangchungsim-won

Note: All amounts are in 100 million Korean won.

Table 4

Top-Ranked Traditional Herbal Medicine Products Among Over-the-Counter Drugs: Annual Production Amounts and Market Rankings (Unit: 100 million Korean won)

Year	Company-THMPs Name Amount (Rank)
2015	IS-GJD 164 (13)
2018	KD-KOG 186 (16)	KD-WHCSW 178 (17)
2019	KD-KOG 208 (17)
2020	KD-KOG 234 (16)	KD-WHCSW 211 (19)
2021	KD-KOG 220 (15)	KD-WHCSW 195 (19)	KD-WHCSWS 149 (30)
2022	KD-WHCSW 247 (13)	KD-KOK 211 (18)	KD-GJD 175 (26)	KD-WHCSWS 169 (27)
2023	KD-WHCSW 292 (10)	KD-KOK 227 (14)	KD-WHCSWS 196 (20)	KD-GJD 179 (25)

GJD: Gongjin-dan, IS: Iksu, KD: Kwangdong, KOG: Kyeongok-go, THMPs: Traditional Herbal Medicine Products, WHCSW: Woohwangchungsim-won, WHCSWS: Woohwangchungsim-won Suspension

Note: In 2015, Iksu Gongjin-dan recorded a production amount of 16.4 billion Korean won and ranked 13th.

Table 5

Production Amounts and Number of the Four Major Traditional Herbal Medicine Products at Five-Year Intervals and for 2023 (Unit: 100 million Korean won, N = number of products)

Year	1980	1985	1990	1995	2003	2005	2010	2015	2020	2023
Woohwangchungsim-won (N)	2.4 (12)	25.9 (26)	785.9 (79)	984.7 (59)	573.2 (71)	456.2 (58)	511.4 (53)	428.7 (41)	787.5 (41)	1071.5 (23)
Ssangwha-tang (N)	70.1 (6)	183.6 (36)	486.1 (16)	835.3 (18)	104.1 (27)	108.4 (23)	164.4 (23)	131.5 (20)	195.0 (17)	210.1 (16)
Kyeongok-go (N)	0.4 (5)	3.7 (12)	2.4 (9)	5.6 (6)	10.0 (3)	10.1 (3)	24.8 (3)	20.7 (3)	349.7 (11)	401.7 (15)
Gongjin-dan (N)	0	0	0	0	1.9 (5)	19.2 (6)	44.0 (8)	211.3 (6)	220.2 (7)	297.5 (11)
Total	73	355	1,274	1,827	689	594	744	792	1,552	1,980

Note: In 1980, 12 Woohwangchungsim-won products were produced, with a total production amount of 240 million won.

Table 6

Total Production Amount of Traditional Herbal Medicine Products by Year (Unit: 100 million Korean won)

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Amount	3,700	-	-	-	-
Year	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Amount	-	-	-	3,521	3,530/2,767
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Amount	-	3,427	3,654/2,663	3,593/3,196/3,575	2,339/,2519/1,628
Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Amount	2,264/2,192/1,812	2,256/2,034	1,865/1,693	1,813	1,611/2,519/2,186/1,628
Year	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Amount	2,519/2,186/2,552	2,465	2,817	2,866	2,962
Year	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Amount	2,776	2,959	3,619/4,254/6,418	4,774/4,626/4,815/8,212	5,431/9,454
Year	2020	2021	2022	2023	-
Amount	11,698	12,133	13,666	14,846	-

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