A time-honored brand in traditional Chinese medicine is trying something new: breaking into the herbal tea industry as health-care markets boom and flourish in China.

Tongrentang (TRT), a famous Beijing-based health-care company, is promoting two herbal teas - TRT herbal tea and Maca oolong tea - to diversify its product portfolio.

The herbal teas are available in shops, convenience stores and e-stores, such as JD.com.

Zhang Hong, deputy general manager of TRT Beijing, said that the herbal tea is a good reflection of the TRT brand, adding that with momordica grosvenori in the recipe, it tastes good.

Zhang said that TRT is expanding its marketing channels, trying to connect different industries by an O2O model to publicize the charm of the TRT brand.

TRT has been recommended as one of 16 Chinese enterprises to become world famous brands by the China Federation of Industrial Economics and the China Top Brand Strategy Promotion Committee, media reports said.

Founded in 1669, TRT was appointed to provide medicines for the royal pharmacy of the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) for eight generations of Qing emperors, a total of 188 years, according to the TRT official website.