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Most of the bears — known as moon bears for the crescent of yellowish fur across their chests — were trapped in the wild and are destined to spend dramatically shortened lives in captivity. They die of illness, starvation, tumours or infections of their open wounds.
Bear bile has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. Modern investigations showed that it has a wide range of pharmacological actions with little toxicological side effect and the pure compounds have been used for curing hepatic and biliary disorders for decades. However, extensive consumption of bear bile made bears endangered species.
Bear bile Xiongdan in Chinese)is the dried gallbladder with bile of selenarctos thibetanus curvier or Ursus arctos L. The dried gallbladder with bile from other species of Ursidae can be also used as Bear bile. Bear bile had the efficiency of clearing heat and detoxification, purifying liver, improving eyesight, and could be used to treat eclampsia, epilepsy, tic, hot liver, red eyes and swollen problem, it did not have the functions of protecting liver and could not be used to treat visual disturbance caused by weak liver and kidney.
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