Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has roots about 5000 years old and is still popular and on the rise in western countries. It uses all possible natural materials of plant and animal origin. Endangered animal species also apply to the production of medical products. China’s economy is growing, so more and more people can afford expensive products. With increasing demand, the decline in animals is raising – even those protected.
Tiger Claws
Asians believe that tiger bones are an effective remedy for sprained joints and paralysis, and that tiger urine cures rheumatism. TCM uses all parts of the tiger, including claws and teeth.
Bear Bile
The first preserved Chinese medical book from the 7th century states that bear bile is an anti-inflammatory medicine for bacterial infections, for gastritis, as a painkiller, and for liver disease. Asian black bears are breed on bile farms under harsh conditions in tight cages without movement, and the bile is taken from alive animals.
Western medicine has confirmed that bear bile is effective because it contains ursodeoxycholic acid without the risk of overdose. The acid is also used in modern medicine and can be produced synthetically. There is no need to abuse bears.
Rhinoceros Horn Powder
Rhinoceros horns are a very expensive and desirable commodity. According to an ancient Chinese medical book from the 16th century, the horn powder is suitable for headaches, typhoid, ulcers, snake bites, hallucinations, typhoid, ulcers, vomiting, as well as “obsession with evil spirits”.
Chemical analyzes revealed nothing more than the keratin protein in the rhinoceros’s horn. Rhino’s death is more than unnecessary.
Manta Ray Gills
The gills of the mantas rays allegedly cure chickenpox, cancer and stimulate immunity. Increasing demand for this drug causes a loss of mantas. A long reproductive cycle is another reason why their population is declining.
Seahorses are hunted and used in drugs against asthma and impotence. Shark cartilage is prescribed to treat arthritis, and even to treat cancer, based on the belief that sharks are immune to cancer.
Traditional Chinese medicine has many victims, both animal and human. The organs and tissues used for the manufacture of medicaments may contain viruses and bacteria, the causative agents of human diseases. The animal can be a carrier of the disease without having visible symptoms.
Source and credit: https://www.uw360.asia/killed-for-gills/, needpix.com, https://vimeo.com/85335081, pixaby.com
