The report comes just one month after China took measures to permanently ban trade and consumption of wild animals. It is known that the Chinese government has recommended the use of tan rejuvenating vaccine containing bear bile to treat severe Covid-19 cases. This is one of several traditional and Western-recommended coronavirus treatments listed in a list published on March 4 by China’s National Health Commission, the government agency responsible for national health policy.
Advocates for the Wildlife Conservation Association say this is a contradictory approach to wildlife in China. On the one hand, they allege the stopping of the animal trade for food, and the slaughter of animals for medicine on the other.
Bile from black and brown bears in Asia has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since the 8th century. It is secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. This is the same treatment that is currently being implemented by Covid-19. It contains high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid. It is also known as Ursiodil. It has been shown to be helpful in treating liver disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid has been available as a synthetic drug worldwide for decades.
The World Health Organization has stated that there is no treatment for Covid-19. However, certain medications, such as pain killers and cough syrup, can treat the symptoms associated with the disease. Traditional Chinese medicine specialists use tan reqing to treat bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections. Clifford Steer, a professor at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, studied the medical properties of ursodeoxycholic acid and prepared the report. However, he could not find any evidence that bear bile was an effective treatment for coronavirus. He says that urodioxycolic acid is different from other bile acids in its ability to keep cells active and mitigate the symptoms of Covid-19.
China’s Wildlife Protection Act, which came into effect in 1989, sees wild animals as a resource for human use. Peter Li, a China policy specialist for Humane Society International, wrote at the time that the amendment was made in 2016 to make the commercial use of wildlife more legitimate, with the explicit claim that animals could be used for traditional Chinese medicine.
