Application of Animal Products in TCM
By admin on 2014-12-16

Dried seahorses

Animal products are used in certain Chinese formulae. The practice of using endangered species is controversial within TCM. Many substances fall into this category. Some claimed uses of certain animal derived ingredients, such as use of the tiger's penis for impotence, cannot be considered true, because the substances in question do not appear in the ingredients lists of the pharmacopoeia[citation needed]. Use of rhinoceros horn (xī jiǎo) for "cooling the blood" was replaced with buffalo horn (shuǐ niú jiǎo), and cow (bovine) bile (niú dǎn) is a modern replacement for bear (ursine) bile (xíong dǎn). An ingredient like "horny goat weed" (yín yáng hoù) is obviously a plant (Epimedii Herba).

Medicinal use is having a major impact on the populations of seahorses, which are considered a fundamental ingredient, and used to treat a variety of disorders, including asthma, arteriosclerosis, incontinence, impotence, thyroid disorders, skin ailments, broken bones, heart disease, as well as to facilitate childbirth and even as an aphrodisiac.

Shark fin soup is traditionally regarded as beneficial for health in East Asia, and its status as an "elite" dish has led to huge demand with the increase of affluence in China, but it is surely having a devastating effect on shark populations.

A few traditional Chinese medicinal solutions still use bear bile (xíong dǎn). The bears are often fitted with a sort of permanent catheter, which may have been thought to be more humane than killing the bears. The treatment itself and especially the extraction of the bile is very painful for bears, and causes damage to their stomach and intestines, often resulting in their eventual death. However, due to international attention on the issues surrounding its harvesting, bile is now rarely used by practitioners outside of China; gallbladders from butchered cattle (cow bile/niú dǎn) are recommended as a substitute for this ingredient.

Source: Wikipedia

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