President Donald Trump's aggressive tariffs on Chinese goods have triggered widespread shortages of essential products in the U.S., with the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sector facing an existential crisis.
The New York Times reports that the tariffs, imposed last month, are destabilizing an industry that has grown steadily over two decades, driven by immigrant communities and rising American interest in holistic therapies. Kamwo is at the center of the storm, a 50-year-old Chinatown institution and one of the largest TCM pharmacies on the East Coast.
Third-generation owner Thomas Leung, whose family has practiced medicine for four generations, has halted all imports of Chinese herbs since the tariffs were announced. "Even if I pay the duties now, no one will buy overpriced stockpiles if tariffs are lifted later. We're frozen until there's clarity," Leung said. The shop, which once supplied bulk herbs and custom prescriptions, has stopped wholesale operations as panic buying drives up prices for staples like ginseng and astragalus. Before the tariffs, Golden Harvest projected US$6.5 million in 2024 revenue. While Leung's stockpiles may last eight months, smaller pharmacies risk closure within weeks.
The price hikes are devastating for clients like Pierre, a 58-year-old runner who relies on TCM to avoid injuries. "Life is already unaffordable with inflation. The idea of herbs becoming even costlier is terrifying," she said. Her fears reflect broader anxieties among millions of Americans, particularly Asian immigrants and holistic health advocates, who depend on affordable TCM for chronic conditions.
The crisis underscores the fragility of a supply chain rooted in China. Many TCM herbs, such as Dang Gui (angelica root) and Chuan Xiong (Szechuan lovage), cannot be grown elsewhere and require specialized processing by skilled laborers. "Rebuilding this ecosystem in the U.S. is impossible," Leung stressed. The tariffs also threaten jobs across the industry, from shop clerks to truck drivers, with most U.S. TCM businesses operating on thin margins.
Georgetown University professor Arthur Dong, a TCM trade expert, warned that the tariffs risk eroding cultural heritage and healthcare access for vulnerable communities. The Biden administration faces mounting pressure to exempt critical herbs, mirroring exceptions granted for pharmaceuticals. As shelves empty and prices soar, patients like Pierre confront impossible choices: "Without these herbs, I'd have to rely on painkillers. But that's not living—it's just surviving."
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