At the end of last year, Bai bought five popular cough TCMs online and had them examined by Xi’an Guolian Quality Inspection Technology Corp, a third-party institution, finding sulfur in all the medicines.

去年底，他网购了5种常见的止咳化痰药品，并送到第三方机构——西安国联质量检测技术股份有限公司检测，结果发现所有送检药品中均含有一定的硫磺。

Generally speaking, TCMs should not contain sulfur, but the content of sulfur in the five under scrutiny ranged from 0.1g to 0.6g per 100g of medication, the paper said, citing an inspector surnamed Zhong.

《经济参考报》援引检测负责人钟某的话，他表示一般来说，成品药成分中不应出现“硫”成分，而这5种止咳药中每100克成品药的硫磺含量竟然达0.1-0.6克 (即最高千分之六的比例)。

All tests had been conducted in accordance with China’s national food safety standard, the paper said. However, as Xi’an Guolian is not an official pharmaceutical inspection institution, the results have yet to be approved by regulators.

《经济参考报》称，上述5种止咳药的硫磺含量检测都是依据的国家食品安全标准。然而，由于西安国联并不是我国官方医药检测机构，因此结果有待官方进一步确认。

The paper said it had failed to reach the four above-mentioned pharmaceutical companies for comment.

《经济参考报》表示尚未收到以上四家药企的回复。