Herbalists decry bear bile use

Vietnam's traditional medicine practitioners are opposed to bear bile farming, according to a recent survey.

The survey carried out by the Animals Asia Foundation of 152 traditional medicine practitioners in Vietnam revealed that 93 percent of Vietnam's traditional medicine practitioners were opposed to bear bile farming and 76 percent had never prescribed bear bile.

Twenty-four percent of practitioners surveyed had prescribed bear bile to treat medical conditions ranging from bruises, fever, poor blood circulation, and cirrhosis. The responses suggest however that bear bile is not safe for human consumption with respondents reporting seven cases of bear bile poisoning, four of which (57 percent) had resulted in death.

Respondents commented that bear bile is expensive, poor in quality and not scientifically proven as a treatment. Thirty-nine herbal alternatives to bear bile were identified by the traditional medicine practitioners, with 45 percent naming cay mat gau (bear bile plant) as a replacement treatment. Animals Asia Foundation is aware of 54 herbal alternatives that can be used instead of bear bile in China .

Bear bile does not have a prominent role in traditional medicine with only a handful of around 1,500 remedies containing bear bile, according to Dr Nguyen Xuan Huong, chairman of the Traditional Medicine Association of Vietnam./.

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Vietnamese man ‘nabbed with frozen tiger’

A Vietnamese man was arrested in possession of a frozen tiger before he was able to sell the body of the endangered animal to collectors, state media reported on Tuesday.

Pham Hai Nam told police he bought the animal for VND600 million (US$30,800) in the northeastern port town of Hai Phong and planned to sell it for VND46,000, according to An Ninh Thu Do newspaper.

The 39-year-old, who was detained in Hanoi on Monday, also reportedly told police he would crush the tiger’s bones to make traditional medicine if he failed to find a buyer for the whole carcass.

The animal, which weighed 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and was 1.5 meters (five feet) long, has been given to the Museum of Nature for preservation, the report said.

It is believed the tiger was smuggled into Vietnam from overseas.

Environment police in Hanoi declined to comment.

The natural habitat of tigers has been threatened by rapid urbanization in Asia where they are hunted for fur and body parts used in traditional medicine.

Tigers are threatened by rapid urbanization in Asia where they are hunted for their fur and body parts

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ASEAN meeting discusses role of traditional medicine

HA NOI — Officials are discussing ways to integrate herbal treatments into national health care at the second ASEAN Traditional Medicine Conference, which opened yesterday in Ha Noi.

The event is organised by the Vietnamese Health Ministry.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said the Government was determined to promote traditional medicine, which he said was the right direction for health care in ASEAN to move.

"Over 60 years, Viet Nam has been patiently implementing this move, gradually integrating traditional medicine into the health system to protect the nation's inhabitants," Nhan said.

"Developing and applying traditional medicine and herbal cures into health care and protection will be the main focus of ASEAN countries."

Surin Pitsuwan, the ASEAN secretary general, also called for a concerted action by governments, interested parties and health professionals to promote traditional medicine.

In some Asian and African countries, 80 per cent of the population depend on traditional medicine for primary health care. The provision of safe and effective traditional medicine could be a critical tool for increasing overall access to health care, Pitsuwan said.

During the three-day event, delegations will review the results of the first health care conference in Bangkok in 2009. They will also discuss international health issues, such as human resources development in traditional medicine, modernising health care, production and application of herbal medicines.

Since 2007, the Nippon Foundation and the World Health Organisation have been jointly organising a congress on traditional medicine.

In Mongolia, health care medical kits are given to nomadic herders. Visits to medical practitioners fell by 45 per cent as a result of the first aid boxes. Currently, 15,000 Mongolian households use the kits.

The fact demonstrated that the use of traditional medicines could help resolve the problems of cost and access to medical care, delegates heard.

The Ha Noi Joint Declaration will be adopted by delegations at the end of the conference tomorrow.

According to the Health Ministry, Viet Nam has 61 traditional medicine hospitals, while 90 per cent of all modern hospitals have a herbal health care department or unit. Meanwhile, more than 70 per cent of all commune health stations offer traditional medicine. About 30 per cent of all patients examined annually are treated with traditional remedies or a combination of traditional and mainstream health care. — VNS

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