The Trade in Bears and Bear Parts

Parts of bears have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years in Asia. The use originated in China, and then was adopted by users in Korea and Japan. Today, the use of traditional Chinese medicine is widespread throughout Asia and in Asian communities in North America and Europe. Bear bile from the bear gall bladder is one of the most treasured of traditional Chinese medicines. Prescriptions for bear gall first appeared in writing in the 7th century (Bensky and Gamble 1986). Bear parts once used in traditional medicine include fat, meat, paws, gall, spinal cord, blood, and bones (Read 1982). Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine prescribe bear gall for serious liver diseases, heart disease, hemorrhoids and other illnesses (Mills and Servheen 1991). Bear bile is believed to have special qualities to treat ailments of the liver, stomach and a diverse illnesses from fever to digestive disorders. The use of traditional medicines such as bear gall has continued despite the westernization of many Asian countries and the rapid increase in wealth in certain Asian countries such as Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, and China (Mills and Servheen 1991). Bear skins are also valued for trade in some areas. Bear bile from wild bears is difficult to obtain today as many populations of Asian bears have been reduced in numbers and range due to a combination of habitat loss and excess killing, much of which is for the use of bears in traditional medicine. This combination of rarity and assumed potency makes bear bile one of the most valuable of traditional medicines.