Yunnan Baiyao: A 1902 Formula With the Most Built-Out Overseas Manufacturing Footprint on This Site

Disclaimer: This page is for historical and cultural education only and is not medical advice. References to traditional use describe what historical sources record or what is traditionally believed — not a claim that any product treats, cures, or prevents any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulator. Consult a qualified physician with any health questions.

Yunnan Baiyao (云南白药) traces to a formula created in 1902 by Qu Huanzhang, known in its early form as "Qu Huanzhang Baibaodan." An official recipe license followed in 1916, and by 1917 the medicine was sold nationwide in its now-familiar porcelain bottle.

A brand tested by war, and later given to the state

In 1938, during the Battle of Taierzhuang, more than 30,000 bottles were donated to National Revolutionary Army forces — an episode documented in both Chinese and English-language sources. In the mid-1950s (Chinese sources place this in 1955, an English-language reference in 1956 — the exact year varies by source), the Qu family formally handed the formula over to the Yunnan provincial government. In 1995 it was listed as a state first-class protected traditional Chinese medicine.

Recognition, and one public stumble

Yunnan Baiyao's China Time-Honored Brand status was reconfirmed on September 28, 2023, following a review by five national ministries and commissions. This site did not find a national- or provincial-level intangible-cultural-heritage listing for Yunnan Baiyao itself — a related listing found during this research belongs to a different company — so this page describes the brand by its confirmed Time-Honored Brand status only.

Official recognition has not meant an unblemished record. In 2013, Hong Kong's Consumer Council issued a public notice over aconitine content in a Yunnan Baiyao product, leading to a recall and a sales suspension in that market — worth stating plainly, alongside the recognitions above, rather than leaving out.

Yunnan Baiyao's formula and manufacturing process are widely reported in Chinese media to have been classified as a state secret since the 1980s, though this site did not find a company disclosure directly confirming that classification. Separately, and worth noting for a complete picture: the ingredient list Yunnan Baiyao discloses for products it sells in the United States, under US labeling requirements, has been a long-running point of public discussion because of how it compares with the confidentiality maintained domestically — a point this site notes without taking a position on.

Overseas: the most built-out manufacturing and disclosure footprint here

Among the houses on this site, Yunnan Baiyao has the most developed formal overseas presence. It operates an official Hong Kong-listed overseas arm, and in mid-2025 announced the first overseas sale of toothpaste manufactured at its own Thailand production facility.

By the company's own disclosure, overseas revenue for the first half of 2025 was reported at roughly 230 million yuan, up about 7.9% year over year. Separately, in company and trade-media accounts from a different reporting period, overseas revenue for full-year 2023 was reported at roughly 634 million yuan, up about 51%, alongside descriptions of business entities in more than ten countries and flagship experience stores in New York and London. These are different periods reported through different channels and should not be added together or treated as a single trend line — both are presented here as the company's own disclosures, not independently audited figures.

Beyond the official manufacturing and disclosure channels, Yunnan Baiyao products also appear through third-party e-commerce marketplaces and pharmacy retail chains in a number of countries. As with every brand on this site, a product's presence on a retail marketplace is not treated here as proof of an official retail network or of current sales volume.

Separately, in 2019 Health Canada recalled an unauthorized Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste after finding it contained an undeclared prescription ingredient — another point this site includes for balance rather than omitting.

Markets: Vietnam, Indonesia, and a Thailand manufacturing base

Among the non-English-speaking, large-population markets this site tracks, Yunnan Baiyao's evidence is strongest in Vietnam, where it holds a formal drug registration. In Indonesia, the product is available through e-commerce, and some mainstream health platforms report that it holds local regulatory approval — a claim this site presents as reported rather than independently confirmed. In Thailand, the confirmed fact is the manufacturing base described above; retail presence in that market is informal and this site does not treat it as a developed consumer channel.

A legend worth naming as a legend

A story that Yunnan Baiyao served as an unofficial "battlefield medicine" during the Vietnam War circulates in English-language traditional-medicine and veterinary-community writing. This site did not find that claim documented in a primary historical source, and treats it here as a widely circulated story rather than established history.