One of the largest herbal corporations in the USA has announced a scholarship program in the field of acupuncture and herbal medicine. Mayway USA, located in Oakland, California; is providing four separate scholarships for students of acupuncture, herbs, and oriental medicine. Three scholarships provide $1500 towards education in acupuncture and herbal medicine. One of the $1500 scholarships is earmarked for Master’s degree programs and another is earmarked for doctoral programs. An additional $2,000 scholarship is offered for students in a Master’s degree program.
Applicants must submit an essay that, according to Mayway requirements, “demonstrates critical thinking and professional academic writing skills.” The essay question is, “How can Chinese medicine practitioners effectively advocate the safety and efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine?” It is not surprising Mayway should put students to the task of answering this question. Mayway has been an early adopter of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) international standards and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) standards. Just recently, Mayway voluntarily ceased production of Li Fei Pian, an herbal formula suited for the treatment of respiratory system disorders. Citing overharvesting from the neutraceutical industry, one of the herbs in the formula was recently added to the CITES endangered herbs list. Mayway immediately pulled production in compliance with CITES. Often, Mayway and other herb companies that are CITES compliant reformulate banned herbal formulas and re-release them with compliant substitutions. No announcement for the reformulation of Li Fei Pian has been made by Mayway. Mayway USA headquarters are in Oakland, California. Mayway was founded in 1969 as an herbal shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown area and Mayway now has branch offices in London, Beijing, and Anguo.
