What's Hiding Inside Your Medicine Cabinet

8/8/2019 What's Hiding Inside Your Medicine Cabinet

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Whats hiding inside yourTRADITIONAL MEDICINE?


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Traditional medicines (TM) may contain herbs and/or

animal parts. Some of these plants and animals are

in danger of extinction, either in localized areas or

worldwide, due to many factors, including the growingglobal demand for traditional medicines and other

natural products. Your buying decisions have a

significant impact on whether or not hundreds of

species of animals and plants survive into the future.

Some TM prescriptions and over-the-counter patent

formulas (extracts of pills and tablets) contain

ingredients that are improperly listed, or not listed

at all. It can be difficult to know exactly what

animal or plant derivatives a product contains.

In fact, there are many TM products that claim to

contain rare ingredients tiger bone and rhinoceros

horn, for example but contain nothing of the sort.

There are several reasons for consumers to be

concerned about the contents of their traditional

medicines and natural products. If a product doescontain derivatives of an endangered plant or animal,

it is illegal and is contributing to the depletion of

an entire species. If a product does not contain the

derivatives it claims to, it is also illegal and may

be harmful to your health. Products without labels

should be avoided as well.

For the sake of their own health, and for the welfare

of the plants and animals that sustain it, smart

consumers should ask their TM practitioners and

suppliers some basic but important questions.


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What animal or plant derivativesdoes this product contain?

A product that claims to contain tiger bone mayactually contain bone from leopards, lions, commonhouse cats or no bone at all.The tiger has long beenforgotten in many remedies.

A product that claims to contain turtle shells maycontain different species of turtles.The exact type andorigin of turtle shells, parts, and derivatives are nearlyimpossible to determine because the internationaltrade in them is largely unregulated, the parts of manyspecies look alike, and labeling standards are lacking.

There are many herbal medicines available that donot contain endangered animals or plants. Ask forproducts that do not contain endangered species.

What are the sustainable alternatives?

TM practitioners have discovered thousands ofdecoctions, powders, and formulations to treat ailments,cure diseases, and enhance vitality that do not containendangered plants and animals. Ask for them.

There are effective alternatives synthetic and herbal to products containing the parts of endangered animalsand plants on the market today. For instance, alternativesto bear bile and deer musk are now widely available.

Where is it from?Products derived from wild animals may come fromwildlife that has been illegally hunted, killed, and traded.

In some nations or areas, a species of turtle or bearmay be relatively plentiful; in others it may be on thebrink of extinction. If demand remains, it is just amatter of time before overharvesting by hunters andpoachers depletes those populations as well.

Because poachers and traders move on to new areaswith similar species when resources have been over-exploited in one locale, the intense pressure on wildlifepopulations tends to be unsustainable on a global scale.

To be certain, ask for products that do not containany endangered wild animal or plant derivatives.

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Educate yourself by reading labels

and learning about the plants andanimals that provide your medicines.

Discuss the ingredients used in TMproducts with your practitioner.

Always request nonendangered herbalprescriptions (herbal prescriptions mayinclude animals and minerals) whenbuying herbal products or being pre-scribed herbs by an herbal practitioner.

Avoid buying wildlife and wildlife-related products. Products derived fromwild animals and plants tend to not besustainable.

Support worldwide antipoachingefforts and the protection of wildlifehabitats.

Encourage the creation of wildlifesanctuaries and the preservation ofwilderness areas.

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W I L D L I F E W A T C H

These wild animals are just a few

of the species that are being over-

exploited for traditional medicines.

Once they are gone, they will be

gone forever our children will

never have the chance to see these

animals, and we will all lose another

valuable species from the earth.

z Many of the wild animal and

plant species used in traditional

medicines are monitored and

protected by the Convention on the

International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES). CITES, with 152

member nations, is a United Nations

convention established to control

the potentially devastating effects

of the international trade in wildlife

and wildlife products.

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English name: Tiger

Pharmaceutical name: Os tigris

Conservation status:Just 100 years ago, more than 100,000 tigers

lived in Asia.Today, approximately 4,800 to 7,300 remain in the

wild, and three subspecies are extinct.The four other Asian big

cats the leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard, and lion are

also in grave danger from poaching and illegal trade. If present

trends continue, all five big cats will be wiped off the earth.

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IGER

English name: Bear

Pharmaceutical Name: Versica fellea ursi

Conservation status: Asiatic black bears, giant pandas,

spectacled bears, and sloth bears are listed on CITES

Appendix I (endangered) and are therefore prohibited from

trade. All brown bears in China, Mongolia, and the Himalayan

subspecies are listed on CITES Appendix I. European brown

bears,American black bears,Alaskan brown bears, and polar

bears are listed on CITES Appendix II (limited trade).Trade in

six bear species is completely banned under international law

and most species worldwide have dramatically declined.

BEAR


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IFAW and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are

working together with the TM community to:

I Support the health and well-being of all speciesused in TM;

I Promote public awareness of the importance ofbiodiversity and endangered wildlife and plants;

I Stem the illegal trade in products containing, orclaiming to contain, derivatives of endangeredspecies;

I Help TM vendors and suppliers establish volun-tary systems that will ensure high product qualityand safety, protect biodiversity, and preservewildlife.

Remember the forgotten tiger

As a result of poaching and illegal trade, few tigers

are alive in the wild today. But as a conscientious

consumer, you can help protect the worlds

remaining tigers and other endangered animals and

plants.Your buying decisions can help ensure thatthese magnificent and marvelous creatures continue

to be a part of our world for generations to come.

International Fund for Animal WelfareInternational Headquarters411 Main Street,Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 USAPhone: 1 800 932 4329 Fax: 508 744 2009Web address: http://ifaw.org

IFAW offices in: Australia, Belgium, Canada,China, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico,Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom

U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceInternational Affairs Program4401 N. Fairfax DriveArlington,VA 22203Phone: 703 358 2095Web address: http://international.fws.gov

English name: Seahorse

Pharmaceutical name: Hippocampus spp.

Conservation status: Information from TM dealers, fishers, andtraders suggests that some populations have plummeted 25

to 75 percent over the past five years.Although at least 46

nations trade in seahorses, little harvest and trade data is

available. Demand for seahorses used in traditional

medicines has increased tenfold since the

1980s. Scientists believe that seahorse numbers

have declined worldwide due to habitat loss and intensive

harvesting for TM.

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AHORSE

English name: Turtle, tortoise and terrapin

Pharmaceutical name: Plastrum testudinis and Carapax amydae

Conservation status: There are 270 known species of turtles and

tortoises, 42 percent of which are rare or threatened with

extinction. Due to improper labeling, endangered species are

often sold illegally. Because wild populations in Asia have been

severely depleted, pressure has increased on turtles and

tortoises in other parts of the world.

TORTOISE

2002IFAWandUSF&WS


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Contact your practitioner or supplier for

more information about nonendangeredherbal and synthetic alternatives.

English name: Ginseng

Pharmaceutical name: Wild American Ginseng

(Panax quinquefolius)

Conservation status: Wild American ginseng is listed on CITES

Appendix II.This listing has not stopped international trade in

ginseng; it is designed to monitor the trade to help ensure that

large-scale commercial use does not threaten ginsengs survival

in the wild.

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INSENG

English name: Musk Deer

Pharmaceutical name: Secretio moschus

Conservation status: Musk deer populations in Afghanistan,

Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan are listed on

CITES Appendix I (endangered); all other populations are listed

on CITES Appendix II. In China, the number of musk deer has

dropped by about two-thirds since the 1960s; they are rare in

Mongolia and nearly extinct in Korea.

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English Name: Pangolin

Pharmaceutical name: Squama manitis pentadactylae

Parts & Derivatives Used in TM: scales, whole and in powdered form.

Conservation status: There is little population information

available for the four species of African pangolins or the three

Asian species. However, pangolins are known to be heavily

exploited for their scales, skin and meat, even though they are

legally protected in many nations, and are listed on CITESAppendix II.

PAN

GOLIN

This brochure was reviewed by Traditional Medicine practitioners.

What's Hiding Inside Your Medicine Cabinet

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