Beijing / Shanghai, 20 October 2025 — In China’s bustling food and beverage (F&B) scene, something interesting is brewing: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is being blended into modern culinary experiences, from wolfberry gelato to herbal-cocktail bars, as the country’s wellness boom takes hold. This fusion reflects shifting consumer tastes, deeper health consciousness, and a savvy pivot by F&B operators to tap new demand.
A Taste of the Trend
In Shanghai, at the TCM-themed bar Niang Qing, a bartender shakes up a violet-hued herbal mix made with ingredients like goji-berry (wolfberry) extract, chrysanthemum and Chinese licorice, styled with flair and served in crystal glassware. On the nearby street you’ll also, including flavours like wolfberry-ginger and chrysanthemum-tapioca-pudding.
What’s remarkable: these offerings are not just novelty desserts or drinks, but part of a broader re-positioning of TCM ingredients as lifestyle and wellness assets, rather than solely medicinal. They target urban young professionals, digitally-savvy consumers, and “wellness natives” who value experience, health signalling and Instagram-worthy foods.
What’s Driving It
Several forces converge to power this trend:
- Rising health and wellness awareness: Chinese consumers are increasingly mindful about preventive health, functional foods and lifestyle design. Traditional medicine is being re-imagined in this context.
- Post-pandemic shifts: The pandemic catalysed heightened interest in immunity, functional ingredients and health-centric food choices; F&B operators are adapting accordingly.
- Premiumisation of food & drink: Consumers are willing to pay more for unique, experience-driven offerings. A wolfberry gelato or herbal cocktail becomes both a retail product and a lifestyle statement.
- Regulatory & domestic demand push: The Chinese government has been promoting traditional medicine applications, health-industry development and consumer-oriented wellness. That gives further tailwinds to TCM-in-F&B innovation.
Broader Implications for Asia
For brands, investors and F&B operators across Asia-Pacific, including in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the movement in China offers several useful lessons and signals:
- Innovation frontier: TCM + F&B shows how heritage assets (traditional medicine) can be repurposed for modern consumption experiences. Regional operators may consider similar localization (e.g., Malay herb-infused desserts, botanical teas).
- Premium wellness segment: Wellness is moving beyond functional drinks to experiential food, flavour innovation and lifestyle positioning, meaning higher margins but also higher expectations.
- Supply-chain opportunities: As demand for ingredients such as goji-berries, chrysanthemum, Chinese herbs rises, this may stimulate upstream agricultural, logistics and processing segments. For countries like Malaysia, with herbal-botanical biodiversity, this could signal niche export potential.
- Cultural credibility: Chinese consumers accept TCM as heritage and wellness; Southeast Asia may have to calibrate authenticity, regulatory compliance and consumer trust when attempting similar hybrids.
Challenges & Considerations
- Evidence & safety: While trend-driven, using medicinal herbs in F&B comes with regulatory, safety and evidence-concerns. Brands must ensure appropriate dosage, clarity and disclaimers to avoid legal or consumer-trust issues.
- Sustainability & sourcing: Premium herbal ingredients may face supply pressure, cost inflation or sustainability concerns if scaled rapidly.
- Novelty fatigue: While early adopters love ‘wolfberry gelato’, the challenge is turning niche innovation into sustained business, not just Instagram buzz.
- Market differentiation: With F&B innovation accelerating, standing out in wellness-F&B will require more than TCM branding; execution, consumer engagement and experience matter.
Outlook
TCM-inspired F&B is likely to deepen in China, expect more bars, cafés and branded desserts that use herbs, tonic ingredients and functional flavour profiles. For Asia at large, this shift signals a broader paradigm: wellness-driven consumption is not just about vitamins and fitness apps, but about flavour, heritage, experience and lifestyle.
For investors and market watchers in Southeast Asia, keeping an eye on this trend means watching: which ingredients gain traction, how regional supply-chains respond, and whether the premium wellness food segment expands beyond major Chinese cities into broader Asian markets.
