Wen Ken Group Managing Director Fu Siang Jeen (left), with younger brother and director, Fu Shou Jeen

Enter the rhino — a cool one, at that. For 60 years, the makers of a liquid remedy to ease “heatiness” in the body had chugged along, retailing it in a utilitarian plastic bottle under the label ‘Three Legs Cooling Water’. Not only did grannies believe in it, it struck a chord with their grandchildren too.

Says Fu Jiang Sheen, managing director of the company that makes it, the Wen Ken Group: “It is a drink the whole family can enjoy. We’re happy to see the younger generation using it too. Local celebrity Sylvia Ratonel said in a recent press interview that she must always have a bottle of it in her bag.”

‘It’ was renamed Cool Rhino in a stylish blue-tinged, silver-capped plastic bottle. The re-packaging, as with an increasing number of Chinese proprietary medicine made locally, after eight months of research in Malaysia — its largest market — found that the original packaging was old-fashioned.

New label

Explaining the new label, Wen Ken’s MD says: “Cool Rhino is based on the belief in  traditional Chinese medicine belief that rhino horns have strong ‘cooling’ properties.”

Rest assured though, the drink does not contain rhino horn, or any other animal products. The re-packaging has seen sales grow 20 per cent in Singapore and Malaysia, “quite encouraging,” says Jiang Sheen.

Chinese proprietary medicine is the final dosage forms of medicinal products containing herbs, animal parts and/or minerals used in traditional Chinese medicine. There’s a huge global market for such products — US$107 billion, according to a British report, and Singapore’s producers have a long way to go.

So far, S$4.5 billion in Singapore-made proprietary medicine and health supplements have been exported to Africa, America, Europe and the Middle East, according to online business advisory EnterpriseOne. Most sold to the West are non-digestive products because of food and beverage regulations there.

So Wen Ken is starting with Brunei and Hong Kong and China. The last two territories will be like “bringing coals to Newcastle” as it is hoping to launch its other re-packaged hit,  pi pa gao, made famous by Hong Kong’s Nin Jiom Medicine Manufactory.

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Wen Ken released their own user-friendly version of the dark, sweet, syrupy, loquat-based herbal treatment for throat ailments in December 2010.

Their Three Legs brand of pi pa gao comes in a plastic bottle with a non-spill, flip-top cap, easy for those on the go: simply flick it open, take a swig, and pop it back into a bag or pocket with no mess or fuss. These simple innovations make Wen Ken’s distinctive from Nin Jiom’s.

Siang Jeen explains that the packaging come from wanting to “accommodate the needs of the buyer”.

The 37-year-old adds: “We felt that there weren’t that many players in the pi pa gao market, and saw an opportunity to give modern consumers an alternative which is convenient and easy to use. Initially, we are hoping to capture 20 to 30 per cent of the pi pa gao market in Singapore.”

Tiger Balm

Perhaps the best-known of such traditional cures is Tiger Balm’s ointments and plasters.

Tiger Balm began re-packaging its products more than 17 years ago.

Executive Director of Haw Par Corporation, Tiger Balm’s manufacturers, AK Han says: “In 1992, research revealed that most teenagers and young adults saw our Tiger Balm ointment as something only their grandparents would use. We realised that we had to keep reinventing ourselves, or this market would continue fading away with each passing generation.”

Their first new product was in 1993 – the Tiger Balm Plaster. A pain-relieving patch made of breathable, ventilating non-woven cloth that fits the contours of the back.

Then came the ointment in different application forms. They also released Tiger Balm Soft in 2001 in the original hexagonal jar, but with a light lavender fragrance instead for those who didn’t like the original, strong gingery smell.

In 2002, they released a rub in a pump bottle. To lessen chances of skin irritation, it contains no alcohol, and is non-greasy.

Another rub was released in 2005, packaged in a plastic squeeze-bottle. It is a non-greasy, water-based cream and also does not have the traditional Tiger Balm scent.

US market

All this re-packaging has resulted in the US market becoming Tiger Balm’s biggest.

Says Han, 63: “Our products are in 60,000 to 70,000 chain stores like Wal-Mart, Kmart and Costco, the most in any country.” Sales of Tiger Balm products there in 2009 saw an increase of over S$1 million from 2008.

What has undoubtedly boosted local Chinese proprietary medicine exports is Singapore’s regulations, introduced in 1999 to address the hitherto uncharted territory of traditional Chinese medicine: toxicity, adulteration, misidentification, incorrect preparation and/or dosage, to name but a few problem areas.

The use of English on Chinese proprietary medicine products — which makes them marketable in countries where English is used — is also part of the regulations.

“Though these regulations are strict, at least you know what you’re buying is safe,” says the general manager of newcomer Tong Jum Chew, Gerald Tong, 33. Tong adds that “these checks and balances in place ensure that a quality product is made.”

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From 1974 to 2004, Tong Jum Chew’s core business was the import and export of traditional Chinese medicine.

In 2004, they entered Chinese proprietary medicine manufacturing, re-angling themselves as a company making traditional Chinese medicine easier to consume without the usual time-consuming preparation.

They built their pharmaceutical plant in Singapore to have better control over their products. Local health regulation checks every six months, Tong feels, give Singaporean consumers more peace of mind.

Childcare

Tong Jum Chew has produced a comprehensive range of products for children that bring relief for coughs, diarrhoea, and also to help increase appetite, as well as Chinese proprietary medicine for skin care, joint care, and antioxidants.

Their cough-mixture powder for children — released in early 2010 — was made with today’s busy parents in mind. The fixed dosage in each packet makes it easier for parents to dispense.

A distinct lack of a smell or taste also means that it can be mixed into food with little fuss.

Says Tong: “Traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t have to be rigid. We want to make it more appealing and easier for the customers to use. Traditional Chinese medicine is not dying – the product is still as effective. As we’re relatively new, we’re still intent on establishing ourselves in Singapore first, though we’re in the process of moving into Malaysia and Indonesia.”

The market is definitely out there.

It is a matter of how Singapore’s Chinese proprietary medicine makers take advantage of the Centre for Traditional Medicine at Temasek Polytechnic set up in April 2010 to spread awareness among youth, and to educate them too.

Government enterprise enabler SPRING Singapore’s Deputy Chief Executive Ted Tan says there are schemes to support any enterprising Chinese proprietary medicine manufacturer. These include service development, branding, technology development, and facilitating market access and collaborations.

So it is up to local Chinese proprietary medicine makers to merge the science and art of traditional Chinese medicine by researching its active ingredients, processing methods and manufacture and integrating the products into modern lifestyles.

It is a complex task, but one that will bring huge rewards.

* This article was written by Gene Khor and first published in Singapore Magazine (Jan-March 2011 issue).