Herbal drug research. A researcher works on the purification of Chinese herbal medication. The researcher is pouring a solution into a burette. Around his bench are various pieces of laboratory glassware and bottles containing chemicals. Books on the chemical constituents of oriental herbs are seen (bottom left corner). Chinese herbal medications are traditionally made from plant and animal extracts. Modern Chinese pharmaceuticals refine natural ingredients into powders and pills for patient consumption. Photographed at the Brion Research Institute in Taiwan.