People in Taiwan who are not feeling so well have, for generations, avoided going to a doctor and visited a traditional Chinese medicine shop instead.

But thousands of shops have shut down in the past 20 years - an estimated 200 stores a year.

The Taiwanese government has not issued any new operating licences in those 20 years and store owners fear when they die, so will their industry.

Al Jazeera's Katia Lopez Hodoyan explains why.