A throat lozenge sold out and went viral! After Citrus grandis, who will be the next blockbuster ingredient from the medicinal and food homology category?

In the spring of 2026, the popularity of the medicine-food homology track arrived earlier and more fiercely than expected.

On the afternoon of March 7th, in Beijing, at the Guangdong delegation meeting scene, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying tasted a local specialty—hua orange red throat lozenge, recommended by NPC deputy Liao Zhilue, and praised it generously: “I want to especially thank this hua orange red. I just ate two in a row, and honestly, it’s the most comfortable and best throat-soothing product I’ve ever had.”

As this topic gained attention, the market quickly responded. According to JD Health data, after the report aired, searches for “hua orange red” skyrocketed, sales increased over three times year-on-year, and several deep-processed products sold out at times.

This surge in the medicine-food homology sector is undoubtedly exciting news, but calmly speaking, is the rise of hua orange red a coincidence or a necessity? When faced with 106 types of medicine-food homology ingredients, how do you find the next “hua orange red”? How to choose the right raw material and turn it into a product young people are willing to buy?

These questions point to a core pain point: everyone sees the opportunities in medicine-food homology, but for most companies, turning these opportunities into business remains unclear.

This is precisely why Foodaily hopes to accelerate problem-solving with the industry through the 2026 Innovation Expo.

In the previous article, we announced that from April 15-17 in Wuxi, at the 2026 Foodaily Innovation Expo, we will present a complete “Innovation Solution”—from trend analysis, global blockbuster prototypes, to local adaptation plans, OEM resources, and channel selection—packaged into a one-stop experience.

This “Unlocking the Growth Code of Medicine-Food Homology” journey has attracted over 50 leading companies including Yili, Infinitus, Pepsi, Taiyi Health, Pinhu Tang, Leyuan, as well as key channels like First Medical, Tmall Global, and Hema.

If you’re also looking for the next “hua orange red,” this spring’s Foodaily Innovation Expo will surely inspire your path to creating popular medicine-food homology products.

Key highlights:

1. How to discover future blockbuster ingredients in the medicine-food homology sector?

2. Embedding “good medicine” into daily life: the formula of dosage form × scene

3. From selecting the right ingredients to building a brand, what core business logic is behind billion-dollar annual sales benchmarks?

1. How to discover future blockbuster ingredients in the medicine-food homology sector?

A good raw material can support a hundred-billion-yuan industry.

Jungon Jang, with its ginseng products, holds over 40% of the global Korean ginseng market and has topped sales for ten consecutive years. In recent years, many blockbuster products based on specific niche ingredients have emerged in the medicine-food homology field.

But the question is: among 106 types of medicine-food homology ingredients, which ones are worth betting on? Which are just fleeting trends? Why did hua orange red become popular this year?

Foodaily Research Institute found that ingredients with “star potential” generally have four characteristics:

First, clear functions supported by scientific evidence. Efficacy should be widely applicable—addressing common health issues—and backed by solid scientific proof.

Second, sensory experience that encourages repurchase. Consumers need to feel the product is effective after use, turning trial into repeat purchase.

Third, easy acceptance that fits into daily consumption scenarios. Acceptable taste, affordable price, familiar form, and seamless integration into daily scenes.

Fourth, a consensus on combinations in consumer minds. When a single ingredient’s function is insufficient, classic combinations can serve as cognitive anchors, such as Liuwei Dihuang pills’ six-herb formula or tangerine peel with hawthorn for spleen health.

The popular hua orange red is a typical example. “Throat soothing” is a widely recognized yet long-overlooked function, and the lozenge form allows consumers to enjoy health benefits like eating candy, with obvious sensory effects and natural repeat purchase. In overseas markets, the throat-soothing segment has already proven successful with commercial brands.

So, where is the next “hua orange red” with these four blockbuster traits?

Foodaily Research Institute screened over 10 promising medicine-food ingredients from the official list of 106, based on efficacy evidence, market innovation, consumer recognition, overseas benchmarks, scene potential, industrialization level, and government support.

In the “Super Ingredients” zone of the 2026 Foodaily Innovation Expo, these potential ingredients will be showcased. But it’s more than just display—each ingredient will be paired with a global market benchmark case and a local adaptation solution. What you see is not isolated raw materials but a complete logic from “raw material selection” to “product creation.”

2. Embedding “good medicine” into daily life: the dosage form × scene blockbuster formula

Finding promising ingredients is just the first step. What truly determines how far a medicine-food product can go and how big it can become is its form and the scene in which it enters consumers’ lives.

Reviewing successful medicine-food products from 2025, a clear formula emerges:

Popular product = (Traditional formula + Modern dosage form) × High-frequency scene

Dosage forms solve “how to eat,” while scenes answer “why to eat.” Both are indispensable.

For example, the development path of Korea’s top ginseng brand, Jungon Jang, highlights a key milestone in 2012 with the launch of the EVERYTIME red ginseng concentrated strips. Before that, ginseng was a ritualistic health supplement to be cooked at home; afterward, it became an everyday drink that can be torn open and consumed on the go—commuting, office breaks, travel—fragmented scenes that became consumption touchpoints.

Market data confirms this innovation’s explosive power: by 2022, cumulative sales of EVERYTIME exceeded 400 million strips, averaging 1.2 strips sold per second; by 2026, global sales surpassed 50 million boxes. In exports, EVERYTIME ranks first for Jungon Jang.

When traditional health supplements find suitable modern dosage forms and embed into high-frequency scenes, market potential multiplies.

So, which dosage forms and scenes are worth betting on?

At the 2026 Foodaily Innovation Expo, we will help medicine-food companies explore innovation opportunities in dosage forms and scenes through exclusive forums and exhibition sections:

• “Dosage Form Innovation” exclusive tasting: pouches, layered tablets, dual-chamber drinks, burst capsules, sprays, dissolvable films, shots, chocolates, dairy, snacks… new dosage forms emerging worldwide— which are most worth attention?

  • In the functional forum, we will present an exclusive dosage form innovation showcase, gathering top upstream technology providers globally to introduce next-generation dosage forms; alongside, Foodaily Research Institute will select cutting-edge global cases for a sensory-rich experience.

• “Foodaily Top 10 Consumer Scenes” zone: in the future health food ecosystem section, focusing on high-potential scenes like brain health, relaxation, gifting, etc., we will explore opportunities for medicine-food homology in different scenarios. Examples include how overseas functional soft candies enter sleep aid scenes, or how adaptogen drinks fit emotional management—each scene with case studies and methods.

• “Blockbuster Prototype” zone: showcasing validated global medicine-food homology blockbuster cases, analyzing their innovation logic and success paths, and providing localized solutions for industry reference.

3. From selecting the right ingredients to building a brand: billion-yuan benchmark cases and core business logic

How to turn ingredients into products and then into successful brands?

At the 2026 Foodaily Innovation Expo, through category and thematic forums, industry pioneers who have completed the full path will share practical experiences from ingredient selection to branding, helping industry practitioners move from “choosing the right ingredients” to “building a brand”:

• How to modernize classic formulas?

  • Infinitus, with years of research in Chinese herbal medicine, will share its “Eastern wisdom + modern methods” R&D philosophy, explaining the synergy of herbal formulas in overall anti-aging and localized anti-aging, using Qiongyu ointment as an example. They will discuss transforming traditional medicine-food formulas into global products, covering raw material selection, formula innovation, and scientific validation.

• The six-herb Rehmannia drink series, which sold over 100 million yuan in just five months, has become a phenomenon in 2025. The core marketing teams—Damu Marketing Consulting, Sannuo Health, and Zhang Zhongjing—will analyze the full commercial logic behind this ancient formula’s productization, revealing how traditional health and tonic products break out of old age groups and integrate into daily, youthful health scenes.

• Traditional herbal development faces major bottlenecks: non-standard raw materials, process fluctuations, long R&D cycles. Taiyi Health will unveil its “Digital Intelligence Decoction Technology Platform,” transforming herbal wisdom into quantifiable, replicable industrial standards, shortening the full chain from raw material screening to product launch, and improving batch stability of active ingredients.

• How to explore and verify precise efficacy of traditional medicine-food ingredients? Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Zhou Jinrong, with decades of research in nutrition and metabolism, will introduce the innovative concept of “Plant Peptide Integration”—combining the high bioactivity and targeted advantages of dietary peptides with the natural recognition and multi-target effects of traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, helping companies seize the next technological high ground in functional foods.

How can a single ingredient become an “exclusive business”?

• Every medicine-food company has wondered: find a promising raw material, master it, deepen it, and make it your “exclusive business.” But reality is often: what’s cultivated is unknown to whom it will be sold; products lack differentiation; and sales don’t form a brand. The raw material remains the same, but its value is on a different scale.

Starting from building a self-owned Dendrobium plantation in Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan, to R&D, production, and branding, Pinhu Tang pioneered the “Dendrobium Raw Juice” category, also developing Dendrobium wine and solid drinks. Vice President Yan Yongzeng will share ongoing industrialization and business practices around Dendrobium.

• How can medicine-food homology penetrate traditional food and beverage categories quickly and steadily?

  • Vigoo Qing’s HPP turmeric ginger lemon juice topped Hema’s refrigerated drink repurchase list, turning medicine-food homology into a “life extension神器” favored by young consumers. Founder and CEO Zhang Chenling will share how HPP technology ignites a new Chinese-style functional beverage revolution, revealing business opportunities and innovative solutions in the functional drink sector.

• Dairy products are high-frequency, well-recognized health carriers, but integrating medicine-food homology ingredients faces challenges like stability, taste, shelf life. Leading dairy experts will discuss how dairy can embrace medicine-food homology, decoding technical breakthroughs and industry practices, exploring new scenarios for medicine-food homology in dairy.

• Snacks, as a leisure category, are also gaining attention for medicine-food homology. How to incorporate traditional ingredients into global snack scenes? This is not only about exploring local ingredients’ value but also a forward-looking path for “going global.” Yang Chenguang, Senior Director at PepsiCo Asia R&D Center, will share innovative practices of Chinese food culture empowering healthy snacks from a multinational perspective.

• As medicine-food homology shifts from traditional tonics to daily and snack forms, the demand-supply mismatch and scene innovation in the silver-haired sector are becoming new growth drivers. Wangwang Group’s senior leader will share how to design age-friendly formulas, flavors, and sensory experiences based on elderly nutrition standards, making traditional health foods truly integrated into daily life and close to people’s hearts.

4. The April Wuxi Foodaily Innovation Expo welcomes the “Innovation Acceleration” era of medicine-food homology

The golden age of medicine-food homology has arrived. But this is no longer the era of “good wine needs no bush,” nor simply transforming “medicinal herbs” into “food ingredients” to succeed.

The real blockbuster belongs to those who understand how to speak the language of new ingredients to young consumers, embed new dosage forms into high-frequency scenes, lock in traditional essence with new technologies, and ultimately find their niche in industry ecosystems like the Wuxi Foodaily Innovation Expo.

In the next five to ten years, medicine-food homology will be the most certain core growth battlefield in the health industry. Are you ready to “explode”?

At the 2026 Foodaily Innovation Expo, we will spend three days helping you solve three core issues of medicine-food innovation in one stop, accelerating the landing and explosion of the sector:

5. Contact Us

Participation Inquiry: Betty
Phone: 18362506360

Exhibition Inquiry: Ivey
Phone: 17706130838

Channel Partner Inquiry: Grace
Phone: 17712640978

6. Buy Tickets Now

From April 15-17, 2026, at the China Wuxi International Conference Center, tickets are on sale with special group discounts!

Click the mini-program below to secure your spot now!

Cover image source: Taobao, Xiaohongshu @LittleSweetknbawbq7