Traditional Chinese Medicine

Dried seahorse, tiger penis, bear gall and rhinoceros horn are some of the rare ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat problems ranging from impotence to migraine Since the 1960s environmentalists and governments have been arguing and legislating against this trade – which has involved the deaths of hundreds of thousands of endangered animals. Yet the poaching still goes on.

	ARC is working with respected religious leaders in China to teach people to use alternative natural ingredients

ARC would like to develop a new initiative with Buddhists and Daoists, and appropriate Schools of Traditional Chinese Medicine, to remove endangered species from the ingredients of Chinese prescriptions. The justification for this is not only that this is bad for the environment but also that it is bad for the soul. Traditional Chinese medicine relies on principles, shared by Buddhist and Taoist traditions, that emphasise the importance of balance in nature. The argument is that use of these ingredients is so damaging to nature that they cannot actually work.

Researchers at the Beijing School of Traditional Chinese Medicine are looking for alternative non-endangered and sustainable ingredients recognised in the traditional lists.

If you buy traditional Chinese medicine: