Xixi: Photo courtesy of Save China's Tigers

The practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is said to be over three millennia old. The extant medical classics in China, Huangdi Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine) is estimated to have been written between 475-221 BC. Today TCM is increasingly popular. It is found to be "specially effective in the treatment of chronic diseases such as skin conditions, arthritis, malaria, cancer, chronic pain affecting joints and muscles, HIV Aids, Hepatitis C" (Sheehan et al 1992; Lewith et al, 1996; Morgan D. 1997). This is further confirmed in a recent survey of TCM users (Lee, H., 2000). Yet, the mention of TCM also causes many people to wince as if with "pain". This "painful" expression is a reflection of the individuals remembering that animals are being hunted down or poached near extinction for their bones and other parts or animals are being subjected to distressing surgical procedures to extract body fluids for use as part of the TCM treatment strategy. Today, for many people TCM equates to the indiscriminate killing of, and cruelty to, animals. In some cases these killings have severely depleted the stock to near extinction such as the Southern China Tigers, leopards, rhinoceros and many others.

Yes, TCM uses animal parts as part of its treatment prescription. Other traditional medicines also use animal parts. Similarly, animals are killed for trophies, fashion, food or to satisfy personal vanity. Animals are used for experiments in the orthodox medicine but not for TCM. This is not a plea bargain, rather, an appeal for a fair appraisal.

My understanding of TCM history, animals like tigers are recent addition to the range of treatment being offer. In Chinese folklore, the universe was once ruled by two emperors: the Yellow Emperor, (Huangdi), who occupied the centre and the Fire Emperor, (Yandi), who ruled the south. This Fire Emperor had the body of a man with the head of a bull. He was also known as the Divine Farmer because he taught people to cultivate five grains (rye, millet, sesame and two kind of wheat). He used his divine whisk to discover if a plant is or not poisonous and its effects. He also tasted the herbs to experience their effect on him. It was also said that because his body was transparent, it allowed him to rub other herbs on the parts in his body which are affected by the poisonous herbs to counter the effect of the poison. He would also prescribe treatment with herbs for various illnesses.

If the legend is to be recognized to have come from people's recollection and which was then recounted down the generations until written records began, then the bulk of TCM treatment would have been herb-based. Big animals like tigers, leopards or rhinoceros did not form part of Yandi's treatment prescription. Tiger bones began to appear in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia in about three hundred years ago. Fortunately it is now deleted in the recent editions. However, there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate for example that tiger bones have medicinal values. Rather, the tiger bones were introduced into the TCM prescription because of man's fantasy about the qualities of the tigers which represent strength and agility. Man believes that such qualities can be acquired by eating or using parts of the animals. Thus, it was hoped that using the tiger bones will mitigate many of the human frailties such as joint pains.

Colleagues, I have just offered you my personal interpretation of TCM and the use of animals in particular of the big mammals. I also believe that as potential users of TCM, you too can play a big part in supporting the aim of the "Save China's Tigers" i.e. to eliminate the use of tiger parts in the TCM products. Every time you visit a TCM practitioner you can influence the TCM health care industry to commit itself to safeguarding biodiversity and practicing sustainable medicine. If you do not wish tiger parts or any other animal parts, be used in your treatment, let your practitioner know. A competent and experienced practitioner will be able to find alternative herbs just as effective for your condition. Very often, you may find these practitioners very sympathetic and very willing to respect your wishes. Your consultation can also become a two way learning process. By expressing your commitment to animal welfare, you are also helping these practitioners to understand the cultural values from which they are working. So make your next visit to the TCM practitioner both an educational as well as health seeking experience. You may be interested to know that under section 12(1) and 56 of the 1968 Medicine Act, animal parts are illegal in herbal medicine.

You would also be heartened to know that many initiatives are in place to encourage TCM industry to comply with biodiversity and social expectations in the use of animal parts. For example: The European Centre for TCM (ECTCM) at the Middlesex University has recently received a major joint research funding from both IFAW and DETR to find herb substitutes to replace tiger bones, rhinoceros horns and bear bile used in TCM. ECTCM has four further major proposals:

1. To find herb substitutes to replace the remaining eight endangered animals still used in TCM;
2. To experiment farming wild endangered flora used in TCM;
3. To find alternative herbs for the endangered herbs used in TCM; and
4. To conduct a cross-culture attitude survey on the use of endangered and endangered animals and endangered herbs in TCM.

The survey will focus on the following three groups: - practitioners, users and general public.

The research funding ECTCM has just received will conduct scientific investigations into the animal parts and identify the substance/s which are said to have medicinal values. The findings will then be matched with herbs which have similar substances as substitutes. A clinical test will be carried out to confirm or not the replacement herbs are effective.

CMAS approved kitemark logo © CMAS

The Chinese Medicine Association of Suppliers (CMAS) is also committed to ensure a sustainable TCM market. CMAS is developing an international kitemarking scheme. It promises that the TCM products which carry the logo of the kitemarking scheme will be of a safe and quality standard and are CITES compliant. This scheme is all inclusive starting with good agricultural practice; the soil will be certified to be free from heavy metals and other contaminants; the seeds and seedlings will be authenticated; the herbs will be harvested and processed according to agreed protocols; before the processed products are packaged the products will be authenticated, and monitored within the CITES protocol; the products will be subject to sell by date protocol and stored according to the health and safety regulations of the country; at the importing end, the products will be randomly tested to assure that the outcomes correlate with the recorded data; the products will be issued both the Certification serial number and the logo serial number; the annual monitoring audit of the importers warehouse will conclude the kitemarking scheme. This monitoring will be carried by a group of experts and representatives from Patients Association and Consumer's Association.

This kitemarking scheme will also herald an end to the present state of confusion and the lack of confidence experienced by the general public. The logo will be the symbol of safety, quality and CITES compliance for the TCM products. Should a patient experience any unexpected ill effects it will be possible within the kitemarking principle to trace back to discover at which stage the mistake has occurred. There are suggestions that the issue of safety and quality can be achieved by testing the imported products locally. This approach is similar to cutting an earthworm into two halves and each half begins to live independently. It will never be possible to certify or guarantee that the products used come from same field, region or Country.

Colleagues, if each one of us shows a little bit of compassion and engage in educating each other, there is every chance that alternative herbs can be found to allow these endangered animals to survive for future generation to experience them with all their senses. Remember what happened to the DoDo and how it affects our sensory experience.

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