Part 3 of 6 in the "Chinese herb risks and checkpoints" series. The list of the other five is at the foot of this part.

Part 2 ended on "registered" meaning "checked for this class". Which raises the next question: how do you tell that something is registered? And the half that matters just as much — what was never inside the number system at all.

The short version

• In Malaysia, packaged Chinese proprietary and traditional medicines must be registered with the Ministry of Health before they can be sold.
• The Ministry of Health states that a valid registration number begins with "MAL", followed by 8 digits, and ends with a letter indicating the registration category; a registered medicine must carry both the number and a Meditag hologram label on its label or packaging.
• If unsure, search NPRA's QUEST 3+ by product name or registration number; for the hologram itself, have a pharmacist check it.
• Loose herbs and a practitioner's own dispensing are exempt from registration, so they carry no MAL number — that is how the system works. Their checkpoint is sourcing and the person who composed the mix.

First, the things that cannot wait

⚠️ A safety note: TCM and Western medicine complement each other; it is not a choice between them. If you experience a severe allergic reaction (such as difficulty breathing or facial swelling) or loss of consciousness after taking herbs, call 999 now, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Who needs extra care, what to do first if you feel unwell, and the reason behind each item are in part 6.

A note: this section is general information only. For conditions like these, follow your doctor's diagnosis and treatment, and seek medical attention when you need it.

I. First, what is not in the system

Where this checkpoint does not reach. Under NPRA's registration guideline, loose herbs and a practitioner's own dispensing are exempt from registration, so they do not pass through the formulation review part 2 describes. There, the checkpoint is sourcing and identification — whether the person composing the mix knows the plant.

The exemption is written into NPRA's Guideline on Registration of Natural Products: the preparations that do not require registration include an "extemporaneous preparation prepared and given directly to the patient by any traditional practitioner during the course of treatment", and a traditional preparation of natural origin "produced only through drying, without any treatment/process involved. E.g. raw herbs".

The packet a medical hall weighs out for you has no MAL number because that is how the system works — the number is a registration number, and what is not registered has none. That second half is our own reading, not the guideline's wording; what the guideline states is the exemption.

So what you are holding sorts into two kinds first: the kind with a number you can check, and the kind with no number, held by a person. The rest of this part is about the first kind.

II. Four things to look at on a packaged product

In Malaysia, packaged Chinese proprietary and traditional medicines must be registered with the Ministry of Health before they can be sold — that is the opening sentence of the Ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Programme page. The same sentence says more: all medicinal products, including imported medicines, must be registered before they can be sold or marketed to consumers. So "a friend brought it back from abroad" is not an exception to the rule; it just tells you the product has not been through the process.

Four things to look at.

• ① The MAL number. The Ministry of Health's Pharmaceutical Services Programme explains: a valid registration number begins with "MAL", followed by 8 digits, and ends with a letter indicating the registration category; registered medicines must carry both the registration number (e.g. MAL20125467T) and a Meditag hologram label on the label or packaging.
• ② The final letter T. The Ministry's category list shows "T – Natural Products/ Traditional Medicines"; Chinese proprietary medicines are generally classified under T. "Generally" is doing work in that sentence — the category list says what the letter stands for, not which products carry it.
• ③ How to check. The Ministry's page says the registration status of a product can be checked on the NPRA website by product name, registration number, holder name, active ingredient, or manufacturer/importer name; the NPRA Product Status app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store; NPRA can be called on 03-78835400; and the validity of the hologram label can be checked through a pharmacist at a nearby hospital, clinic or pharmacy. The search page is NPRA's QUEST 3+ Product Search. Its "Search By" dropdown offers six fields: Product Name, Product Registration Number, Holder Name, Manufacturer Name, Importer and Active Ingredient — so the name on the box alone is enough to search with.
• ④ On the shelf at Guardian, Watsons and other pharmacies. Turn the box over and look for the MAL number and Meditag; if you cannot find them, ask the pharmacist at the counter.

One thing to note: QUEST 3+ states on its own page that the search result displayed is only applicable on the date and time the search was conducted. So "I checked it once" is not the same as checking it today.

The words in this part

All four are words you will actually meet on packaging, at a counter, or on the registration site.

• MAL registration number (MAL 编号) — the Ministry's description: a valid registration number begins with "MAL", followed by 8 digits, and ends with a letter indicating the registration category, for example MAL20125467T.
• Meditag hologram label (Meditag 防伪标签) — the anti-counterfeit label that a registered medicine must carry alongside the registration number on its label or packaging. For the hologram's validity the Ministry advises having a pharmacist check it.
• Exempt from registration (免于注册) — NPRA's own usage: certain preparations do not require registration with the Authority, including an extemporaneous preparation prepared and given directly to the patient by a traditional practitioner during treatment, and raw herbs produced only through drying.
• Extemporaneous preparation (即场配制) — the guideline's term for a preparation made up on the spot during treatment and handed straight to the patient. For that kind, dose and combination were decided for your situation, which is why it does not travel the product-registration route.

Frequently asked

How do I tell whether a product is registered? The Ministry of Health's answer is to look on the packaging for a registration number beginning with MAL, followed by 8 digits and a final letter, and for the Meditag hologram label. If unsure, search NPRA's QUEST 3+ Product Search by product name or registration number, or ask a pharmacist at a pharmacy to check the hologram for you.

What about direct-sales supplements, things brought back from overseas, and "secret family recipes" bought online? Check for a MAL number first, as in section II above. Anything with a number travels the same route as a product on the shelf; anything with no label whose contents cannot be explained, do not take — that it helped someone else does not make it composed for you. What specifically has been found in products from online and illegal sources is in the last two rows of the table in part 4.

If I cannot find it, does that mean something is wrong? Not necessarily, but do not leave it there either. What the Ministry's page says is that if the product is a registered product, the registration status will be displayed. And QUEST 3+ states that the search result displayed is only applicable on the date and time the search was conducted. So when nothing comes up, first check the name and the number for a typo, then take the two routes the Ministry suggests: have a pharmacist at a nearby hospital, clinic or pharmacy check the hologram label, or call NPRA on 03-78835400.

Do not: answer "I cannot explain where this came from" by taking a little less of it. Where the source cannot be explained, the problem is not the amount.

The other five parts

• Part 1: Do Chinese herbs carry risks? Which class has the record, and how Malaysia regulates it
• Part 2: The class with the record: what the record says, and why registration screening catches it
• Part 4: One table: what you are holding, and how to check it
• Part 5: Storing Chinese herbs — herbs and 凉茶 ingredients in a hot, humid climate, and when "too long" starts
• Part 6: Situations that need extra care — who asks a doctor and a practitioner first, and what to do if you feel unwell

👉 If you are unsure whether "this packet of herbs, or this bottle of proprietary medicine in my hand, is actually right for me to use", you are welcome to book an online consultation with HansMed, where a practitioner registered under the T&CM Act 2016 assesses it with you.

Sit with a licensed TCM practitioner from wherever you are.

HansMed Modern TCM

Sources

• Ministry of Health Malaysia, Pharmaceutical Services Programme, "How to identify medicines that are registered with MOH?" — https://pharmacy.moh.gov.my/en/faq/how-identify-medicines-are-registered-moh.html
• NPRA QUEST 3+ Product Search — https://quest3plus.bpfk.gov.my/pmo2/index.php
• National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Ministry of Health Malaysia, Drug Registration Guidance Document, Third Edition, 12th Revision July 2026, Appendix 7: Guideline on Registration of Natural Products — https://www.npra.gov.my/easyarticles/images/users/1153/drgd_appendices/APPENDIX-7-Guideline-on-Registration-of-Natural-Products.pdf

本文是「中药的风险与把关」系列的第 3 篇，共 6 篇。另外五篇的清单在文末。

第 2 篇讲到「注册」等于「这一类查过了」。那就该问下一句：怎么看出一件东西注册过？ 以及同样要紧的一半——哪些东西本来就不在这个编号制度里。

一分钟看完

• 在马来西亚，包装好的中成药与传统药须先向卫生部注册才能销售。
• 卫生部的说明：有效的注册编号以「MAL」开头，接 8 位数字，最后一个字母代表注册类别；注册药品的标签或包装上必须同时有编号与 Meditag 防伪标签。
• 不确定就上 NPRA 的 QUEST 3+ 查，可按产品名称或注册编号搜寻；防伪标签的真伪，请药剂师帮您核对。
• 散装药材与医师即场配制的药免于注册，所以没有 MAL 编号——制度如此。把关靠货源与配方的人。

先说不能等的几件事

⚠️ 安全提醒：中医与西医是互相补位的关系，不是二选一。服用中药后若出现严重的过敏反应（如呼吸急促、脸部肿胀）或意识不清，请立刻拨打 999，或前往最近的医院急诊部。

哪些人要特别小心、不舒服时该先做什么、每一项的理由，见第 6 篇。

小提醒：本段仅为一般知识说明。相关情况请以西医的诊断与治疗为主，并在需要时及时就医。

一、先说什么不在这个制度里

这个把关管不到的地方。 按 NPRA 的注册指南，散装药材与医师即场配制的药免于注册，不经过第 2 篇讲的那道配方审查。这时把关的，就是货源与鉴别，也就是配药的人认不认得这味药。

免于注册的条文，写在 NPRA 的《天然产品注册指南》里：免于注册的项目包括「传统医药执业者在治疗过程中即场配制并直接交给病人的制剂」，以及「只经干燥、未经其他处理的天然原料，例如生药材」。

药材铺秤给您的一包药材没有 MAL 编号，是制度如此——编号是注册编号，不注册就没有编号。这一句的后半是我们的推论，不是指南的原话；指南写的是「免于注册」。

所以手上的东西要先分两类：有编号可查的，和没有编号、靠人把关的。下面讲前一类怎么看。

二、包装产品看四样

在马来西亚，包装好的中成药与传统药，须先向卫生部注册才能销售——这是卫生部药剂服务计划页面的第一句话。同一句话还写明：所有药品，包括进口的药品，都须先注册才能销售或推广给消费者。所以「这是朋友从外国带回来的」不是一个例外，只是说明它没有走过这道程序。

看四样。

• ① MAL 编号。 卫生部药剂服务计划的说明：有效的注册编号以「MAL」开头，接 8 位数字，最后一个字母代表注册类别；注册药品的标签或包装上必须同时有注册编号（例如 MAL20125467T）与 Meditag 防伪标签。
• ② 尾字母 T。 卫生部的类别表列着 T（天然产品／传统药）；一般中成药通常归入此类。「通常归入」是一般情况的说法——类别表只写字母代表什么，不逐一点名产品。
• ③ 怎么查。 卫生部的说明：可在 NPRA 网站以产品名称、注册编号、持有人、活性成分或制造商／进口商名称查询注册状态；也可从 Google Play 下载 NPRA Product Status 应用程式，或致电 NPRA 03-78835400；防伪标签的真伪，建议请附近医院、诊所或药剂行的药剂师协助核对。查询页面是 NPRA 的 QUEST 3+ Product Search。它的「Search By」下拉选单有六项：产品名称、产品注册编号、持有人名称、制造商名称、进口商、活性成分——手上只有盒子上的名字也查得到。
• ④ 在 Guardian、Watsons 这类药剂行的架上。 翻到包装背面找 MAL 编号和 Meditag；找不到，问柜台的药剂师（pharmacist）。

一句要留意的：QUEST 3+ 自己写明，搜寻结果只适用于查询当时的日期与时间。所以「我上次查过」不等于今天查过。

这篇出现的几个词

四个都是您在包装、柜台或注册网页上会真的遇到的词。

• MAL 编号（MAL registration number）——卫生部的说明：有效的注册编号以「MAL」开头，接 8 位数字，最后一个字母代表注册类别，例如 MAL20125467T。
• Meditag 防伪标签（Meditag hologram label）——注册药品的标签或包装上必须与注册编号同时出现的防伪标签。它的真伪，卫生部建议请药剂师协助核对。
• 免于注册（exempt from registration）——NPRA 指南里的用法：某些制剂不需要向该机构注册，包括执业者治疗过程中即场配制并直接交给病人的制剂，以及只经干燥、未经其他处理的生药材。
• 即场配制（extemporaneous preparation）——指南的用词，指在治疗过程中当场配好、直接交给病人的制剂。这一类用量与配伍是按您的情况决定的，所以它不走产品注册那条路。

常见问题

怎么看药是不是注册的？ 卫生部的说明是：看包装上有没有以 MAL 开头、8 位数字、尾字母的注册编号，以及 Meditag 防伪标签。不确定，上 NPRA 的 QUEST 3+ Product Search 以产品名称或注册编号查，或请药剂行的药剂师帮您核对防伪标签。

直销的保健品、海外带回的、网购的「祖传秘方」，怎么办？ 先按上面第二节查有没有 MAL 编号。有编号的，和架上的产品走同一条路；没有标签、说不清成分的，不吃——别人吃到好，不等于给您配的。网购与非法来源的产品有什么具体风险，见第 4 篇那张表的最后两行。

查不到，是不是就表示有问题？ 不一定，但也不要就此放过。卫生部的说明写的是：如果该产品是注册产品，注册状态就会显示出来。而 QUEST 3+ 自己写明，搜寻结果只适用于查询当时的日期与时间。所以查不到的时候，先确认名字与编号有没有打错，再按卫生部建议的两条路走：请附近医院、诊所或药剂行的药剂师协助核对防伪标签，或致电 NPRA 03-78835400。

不要这样做： 不要因为一件产品说不出来源就改用「少吃一点」来解决。来源说不清的，问题不在量上。

这个系列的另外五篇

• 第 1 篇：中药也有风险？有记录的是哪一类，马来西亚怎么管
• 第 2 篇：有记录的那一类：资料怎么记录它，为什么注册审查能把关
• 第 4 篇：一张表看懂：手上的东西是哪一种，怎么把关
• 第 5 篇：中药怎么存放——湿热气候里的药材与凉茶料，放多久算太久
• 第 6 篇：这些情况要特别小心——哪些人先问医生与医师，不舒服时怎么办

👉 如果您不确定「我手上这包药材、这瓶中成药，到底能不能用」，欢迎透过汉方中医的线上问诊，由依 2016 年 T&CM 法令注册的医师为您评估。

无论身在何处，与持证中医师对坐。

汉方现代中医

资料来源

• 马来西亚卫生部药剂服务计划，〈How to identify medicines that are registered with MOH?〉— https://pharmacy.moh.gov.my/en/faq/how-identify-medicines-are-registered-moh.html
• NPRA QUEST 3+ Product Search — https://quest3plus.bpfk.gov.my/pmo2/index.php
• 马来西亚卫生部国家药品监管机构（NPRA），《药品注册指引文件》第三版第 12 次修订（2026 年 7 月）附录 7：天然产品注册指南 — https://www.npra.gov.my/easyarticles/images/users/1153/drgd_appendices/APPENDIX-7-Guideline-on-Registration-of-Natural-Products.pdf