LHASA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- With the capacity to produce Tibetan medicine, "Sowa Rigpa" in the local dialect, on an industrial scale, Tibetan pharmaceutical firms are set to compete in the wider-Chinese market, according to the local health department.

Phurbu Drolma, director of Tibet Autonomous Region Health and Family-planning Department, on Thursday told Xinhua that the Tibetan medicine industry had been industrialized.

The annual industrial output of Tibetan medicine now exceeds 800 million yuan (126 million U.S. dollars) and 18 Tibetan firms are now Good Manufacturing Practice certified, the national standard.

Tibetan medicine is at least 2,300 years old. It has been influenced by traditional Chinese, Indian and Arab medicine and is practiced in Tibet and the Himalayan region.

Tibetan medicine is known for treating digestive, cardiovascular, and rheumatoid ailments. As a result, it has become a popular alternative treatment outside Tibet.

To capitalize on this, pharmaceutical firms in Tibet have begun to deliver Tibetan medicine to specialized clinics in other Chinese cities.

Similar to traditional Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine uses herbs, minerals and sometimes insects and animals.