"More and more people are finding that acupuncture and moxibustion can help maintain and improve health with few side effects, but people don't realize that our ancestors proved them to be effective therapies for diseases, including very serious ones," Zhao says.

At small and local hospitals, acupuncture is only used to treat a very limited number of conditions, such as neural diseases, she says. "In fact, acupuncture can be applied in a much wider range of conditions."

Dr. Zhao and her colleagues have treated patients with skin diseases, sterility, depression, cancers and even AIDS. But the number of major Chinese medicine hospitals like Dongzhimen is very small.

"Much of the knowledge our ancestors developed from the experience of thousands has been lost in the past two centuries. It is difficult to recover," she says.

Zhao hopes society can again recognize acupuncture and moxibustion as serious therapies.

Wu Gang, deputy director the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told a press conference Wednesday, that, after the UNSCO listing, the administration would work out a practical plan to protect and develop the traditional therapies.

The administration planned to explore effective ways of passing on the techniques, identifying masters and setting up a full archive of important medical books, Wu said.

"With the UNESCO listing, the country will invest more in promoting and researching the acupuncture and moxibustion therapies," he said.

Anne Koppang, a Norwegian student of acupuncture and moxibustion in Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, says, "In Norway, people regard acupuncture and moxibustion as alternative treatments. The UNESCO listing may help more foreigners know about and accept traditional Chinese therapies."

But, experts say more work is needed to counter the many challenges ahead.