TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

This paper first appeared in the Winter issue of the 'Skeptical Intelligencer', 2021, p 4.

In the field of medicine, those who strongly oppose treatments and procedures that are unsupported by current scientific knowledge and clinical research must weigh up the advantages to the public of outlawing such practices against the undesirability of curtailing people's freedom of choice. On the whole, the public do not appear so ill-disposed to alternative medicines and procedures; some popular ones, such as homeopathy, are not harmful when taken alongside conventional treatment (which may have its own risks and adverse side-effects); they may have placebo value; and some of them, such as those involving massage, relaxation and exercise, are experienced as pleasurable and, while not being curative, may be of some physical and psychological benefit, such as stress reduction. The most potent arguments against these practices and in favour of restrictive legislation is the risks-many unknown-that some of the supposed remedies carry; the adverse and even fatal consequences when people are persuaded to rely entirely on these; and the money they waste when they undergo such treatments.

Most recently there has been increasing recognition of another undesirable consequence of some alternative medicines, namely the destructive effects of their procurement on biodiversity. I refer specifically to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), on which I penned a piece for 'Medicine on the Fringe' in the Skeptical Intelligencer, Vol 22 (4) 2019 (note 1). I noted then that TCM is a huge industry in China and, while largely unsupported by medical science, commands the support of the Chinese government. So no chance for arguments about evidence-based practice there. As I also commented, TCM includes the use of animal products. Amongst the items I observed on my visit to a Chinese market were dried centipedes and snakes, turtle shells, bits of hedgehog, and dried deer penises and seahorses, both of which are touted as aphrodisiacs.

The growing popularity of these products (related to the remarkable rise of the affluence of Chinese people) has led to serious depletion amongst some species, notably the seahorse as well as the rhinoceros, pangolin and the donkey (gelatin extracted from donkey hooves and skin is an important ingredient in TCM). Not only that, but their procurement often entails wholesale cruelty to the animals involved. One of the vilest practices is the extraction of bile from the gall bladders of live sun bears and Asiatic black bears (note 2).

There are now reports of a disturbing escalation of these trends. In November, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) reported note 3that China is promoting the growth of TCM clinics across Africa as part of its 'Belt and Road' political strategy, and systematically destroying its biodiversity (leopards are another species targeted)..

Key findings of EIA report include the following:

• TCM is gaining ground in Africa, with an increasing number of African governments entering into official agreements with the Government of China to support TCM development;
• TCM is being further endorsed under national laws in certain African countries, as seen in Namibia and South Africa;
• TCM products containing animal parts are openly available for sale in retail outlets in Africa;
• The COVID-19 pandemic has enabled the Chinese Government to strengthen its promotion of TCM in Africa;
• There is an urgent need to address the risks posed by popularising TCM in Africa, notably resulting from the expansion of TCM pharmaceutical companies targeting traditional African medicine (TAfM) and TCM consumers.

Notes

1. https://tinyurl.com/b2jrsfc6
2. https://tinyurl.com/rtpemghu
3. 'Lethal Remedy: How the promotion of some traditional Chinese medicine in Africa poses a major threat': at https://tinyurl.com/4fzfsjn9