As one of the significant parts of medical science research in China

the research on Chinese medicine (CM) reflects the essence of healthcare tradition in the country both theoretically and clinically

and embodies the values of Chinese culture. Therefore

in the practice of ethics review on CM research protocols

besides abiding by the contemporary prevalent international principles and guidelines on bioethics

which emphasizes the scientific and bioethical value of the study

we should also stress the CM theoretical background and relevant clinical experience in the framework of Chinese culture and values. In this paper

we went over the traits of CM clinical research and the experience from the practice of ethics review by the institution review board for bioethics

and then attempted to summarize the key points for the bioethics review to CM researches in China

so as to serve as reference for the bioethics review to traditional and alternative medicine researches.