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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.
T
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.
G
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.
MUSK
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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.