Tiger Bones in TCM

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Medical News Today

Tiger Bones Rejected By Societies Ahead Of CITES Conference

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=182230

15 Mar 2010

 

WWF and TRAFFIC welcome a World Federation of Societies

(WFCMS) statement urging its members not to use tiger bone or any other

parts from endangered wildlife.

 

The statement was made at a symposium Friday in Beijing and notes that some

of the claimed medicinal benefits of tiger bone have no basis. The use of

tiger bones was removed from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

pharmacopeia in 1993, when China first introduced a domestic ban on tiger

trade.

 

" Tiger conservation has become a political issue in the world. Therefore,

it's necessary for the traditional Chinese medicine industry to support the

conservation of endangered species, including tigers, " said Huang Jianyin,

deputy secretary of WFCMS.

 

Illegal trade in Asian big cat products is a key issue at the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Conference of Parties meeting at Doha, Qatar. China is among the 175

countries that are signatories to this international treaty governing

wildlife trade.

 

" CITES governments should be encouraged by this statement and use the

opportunity they have at this meeting to pass measures, that if properly

enforced, can help put an end to tiger trade, " said Dr. Colman O'Criodain,

Wildlife trade analyst, WWF International.

 

The statement also calls on all WFCMS' members to promote tiger conservation

and encourages them to abide by all relevant international and national

regulations on wildlife trade.

 

" The Societies' public declaration is a clear signal that the traditional

Chinese medicinal community is now backing efforts to secure a future for

wild tigers, " said Professor Xu Hongfa, head of TRAFFIC's programme in

China.

 

As an international traditional Chinese academic organization, the WFCMS

stated that it had a duty to research the conservation of endangered

species, including tigers.

 

" We will ask our members not to use endangered wildlife in traditional

Chinese medicine, and reduce the misunderstanding and bias of the

international community, " said the WFCMS' Huang Jianyin. " The traditional

Chinese medicine industry should look for substitutes and research on

economical and effective substitutes for tiger products, which will improve

the international image and status of traditional Chinese medicine and

promote TCM in the world. "

 

The WFCMS is an international academic organization based in Beijing, with

195 member organizations spanning 57 nations where traditional Chinese

medicine is used. It aims to promote the development of traditional Chinese

medicine, which is a primary form of healthcare delivery in China, and

widely regarded as an important part of China's rich cultural heritage.

 

WWF and TRAFFIC are calling for a permanent ban on all trade in tiger parts

and products, and for a curtailment of commercial captive breeding

operations.

 

Wild tigers are especially in the spotlight as 2010 marks the celebration of

the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year is seen as a

unique opportunity to galvanize international action to save this iconic

species.

 

Source:

Sarah Janicke

World Wildlife Fund