September 2, 2016

Did you know that bear bile can be used as medicine? Bear bile has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for centuries. It contains ursodeoxycholic acid which can be used to dissolve gallbladder stones when surgery cannot be used. However just because it works doesn't mean black bears should be stuffed into small cages and have needles poked into their gallbladder to extract the bile. Like with pangolin scales, there are herbal alternatives. Although bear bile farms have been found in both China and Vietnam, the practice is only illegal in Vietnam. Luckily in a 2011 poll, 87% of the Chinese people disagreed with the practice. Traditional medicine experts even stated that a lack of bear bile would not harm anyone.