ABSTRACT
A close relationship exists between the ingredients of many traditional Chinese medical remedies and the flora and fauna currently listed as endangered species. Asiatic black bear, leopard, musk deer, pangolin, rhinoceros, and tiger-is this a list of "active ingredients" in countless Chinese medicines and these are the short list of endangered species. Gaski and Johnson reports that the "current world value for medicinal herbs has an estimated annual value of US $10 billion". Bear parts, especially bear bile, have for centuries been prescribed and used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); primarily for the treatment of biliary stone disease, kidney stones, and gallbladder ailments. The World Wildlife Fund publication International Wildlife Trade reports that, most of the world's large carnivores, bear populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. The myth of the aphrodisiacal potency of compounds made from bear penis, tiger penis, and rhino horn is more spurious, anecdotal, and scientifically laughable than the tradition of the medicinal qualities.
