Acupuncture, a significant part of traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used to treat a range of conditions in the country's TCM hospitals. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A recent report by the China Food and Drug Administration showed that even in Anguo, Hubei province, one of the top four Chinese herbal-medicine markets, only 20 percent of herbal medicines were fully qualified to be sold, Mao adds.

Pollution and people's greed are among the top reasons behind the large number of low-quality medicinal herbs, Mao says, adding that the report is straightforward when discussing such issues.

However, the book doesn't cover the development of TCM abroad.

There are about 400,000 overseas TCM practitioners, but it is hard for the public to understand and accept TCM in a foreign land, due to cultural differences, according to Hou Shengtian, associate professor, School of Management, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Hou, however, is confident that TCM will make a stronger presence overseas, getting more believers, due to the Chinese government's initiatives to promote TCM abroad.

Mao Jialing, the book's chief editor, told China Daily that the 2015 "blue book" is the first of an annual series of reports, and in the future, the survey will expand to other parts of the country.