Traditional Chinese Medicine and Rhino Endangerment

[Lije]

An article on how TCM contributes to hunting of rhinos for their horns:

Quote:Rhino horn, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over two millennia, is considered a “cold” drug used to treat “hot” ailments. According to the Encyclopedia of Chinese Materia Medica, the horn relieves heat trapped deep in the body in areas of “ying” (maintenance) and “xue” (blood). When it comes to diagnosable conditions, rhino horn is purported to cure things like arthritis, fever, and high blood pressure, though most scientific research on the substance refutes its curative properties. A 1991 paper in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found perhaps the most legitimate, though flimsy, scientific link between rhino horn and healing. The Hong Kong-based researchers reported that high concentrations (2.5 g/ml) of pulverized rhino horn could produce a drop in rectal temperatures in rats with hyperthermia, but the same results were attained with water buffalo horn and with herbal concoctions. At around $35 to $65 per gram, rhino horn would indeed be a pricey cure for a simple fever since a single dose usually entails at least 15 grams. Nevertheless, demand in China and Vietnam is unwavering, and any studies debunking the horn’s mystical properties are dismissed as tainted Western thought.

[Ajita Kamal]

Quote:"any studies debunking the horn’s mystical properties are dismissed as tainted Western thought."

Sounds familiar

I wonder if there are any organizations in China that are openly criticizing these beliefs.