Changing with the Times

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for thousands of years using natural plant, animal, and mineral substances to treat a wide variety of human ailments.

For joint pain, for example, users of TCM have long turned to tiger bone, which they believe helps reduce swelling and suppress pain. But, unfortunately, as tiger populations have dwindled, demand for tiger-bone products has not.The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has begun a campaign to educate Chinese Americans about the use of endangered species in medicines. So far, its efforts are paying off. TCM practitioners and patients are starting to turn to plant sources, bones of more plentiful animals, and synthetic substitutes for replacements. And that’s “good medicine” for tigers and people.