政协委员：熊胆入药尚无替代品_BEC初级作文

政协委员：熊胆入药尚无替代品

The protection of animals is a hallmark of a civilized society, but "the practical situation has to be considered as well", Wang said.

"So far we have found no substitute for bear bile, which has proven medically effective and is irreplaceable," he said.

Cao Hongxin, a CPPCC member and former president of China Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, said bear bile can cleanse the liver, improve vision and relieve muscle pain.

Powdered bear bile sells for 4,000 yuan ($635) a kilogram.

"Animal-based drugs are an important part of TCM, in addition to herbal and mineral medications, and some people who are motivated by some other agenda might use the media hype and criticism of the issue to attack TCM" he said.

TCM medicines made from animal ingredients - such as tiger bone, musk, rhinoceros horn and antelope horn - have been used for thousands of years in China, Wang added.

"It's totally correct to heed animal welfare, and we are in fact carrying out research on substitutes such as animal-based drugs, whether natural or synthetic," he said.

"It's definitely no easy job and will take a long time," he said.

Some netizens, however, thought otherwise.

"People suffering from some diseases would die without bear bile. In fact it's widely used for health preservation products," said an online writer called Halubi in a post on the Sina news portal.

According to the State Forestry Administration, China had 68 registered bear farms by 2006 where about 7,000 black bears were kept for bile extraction.