Four books on the traditional medicine of the Hui, a minority ethnic group in China, have been published in Yinchuan, after experts systematized existing documentary materials, the local health department said.

The four books provide a detailed and systematic introduction to the history, theory and therapies of Hui medicine and pharmacology, said Wang Zhonghe, a senior health official of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

One of the 55 officially recognized Chinese minorities, the Hui ethnic group has a population of nine million. The Hui have made great contributions to traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology.

Medical experts have been working on the books since 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2005)