But the National Health Commission in March issued guidelines recommending the use of 'Tan Re Qing' - an injection that contains bear bile powder, goat horn and three other medicinal herbs to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. The active ingredient in bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid, is used to dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease but has no proven effectiveness in treating COVID-19. It is made from bear bile powder, goat horns and different herbs. Richard Thomas from animal rights NGO Traffic said: 'Across Asia, bear bile trade is widespread, although it is illegal in most countries.' In the 1980s, bear bile farming emerged and workers started to constantly extract bile for the duration of a bear's life.

Source: Daily Mail April 02, 2020 08:07 UTC