Chinese medicine
Some Indians Are Buying Donkey Meat To Boost Their Sex Drive
Unverified claims of this illegal meat curing asthma or working as an aphrodisiac are accelerating the extinction of the animal.
Offcut Gems: Inside the Million-Dollar Market for Cow Gallstones
These solid orange lumps are found in the guts of dead cattle. And thanks to a boom in alternative medicine, they're worth their weight in gold.
A Man Cut off a Dead Tiger’s Genitals to Improve His Own Sex Drive
Pseudoscientific beliefs of local forest communities in India are killing animals including tigers, sloth bears and wild boars.
We Looked Into the Real Benefits of Acupuncture
The deal with acupuncture's effect on pain, fertility, depression, and everything else people use it for.
Did China Just Sign the Death Warrant for Indonesia's Tigers and Rhinos?
Chinese officials recently reversed a ban on the sale of tiger and rhino parts for medical or cultural use—a move that some say may accelerate the extinction of two critically endangered species.
Tiger Bones and Rhino Horns Are No Longer Banned for Medicine in China
A 25-year ban has been altered to allow the animal parts to be used in medical research and healing, despite the fact that both species are worse off now.
China’s Niche Market for Bull Penis Is Small But Powerful
I’m in China testing out one of its most ancient aphrodisiacs: bull penis soup. I ventured to one of the few shops that serve it in Hangzhou to see if it lives up to his medicinal hype.
40 Tiger Cub Carcasses Found in Freezer During Raid at Infamous Thailand Temple
Thai authorities found 40 tiger cub carcasses in a freezer at a Buddhist temple that is being investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and abuse.
China Is Paying Top Dollar for American Ginseng That Might Be Chinese
American-grown ginseng is prized in China, routinely fetching as much as $9,000 per pound. But much of the "American" root might actually be fraudulently labeled Chinese ginseng.
Wealthy Chinese Are Taking Tiger Slaughter Tours
A wealthy Chinese businessman faces 13 years in jail after being caught slaughtering endangered wild tigers, then sharing the spoils—meat, bones, and blood—with a group of 15 high-paying clients. But the gruesome incident is just the latest in a long...
China's Tiger Farms Are Driving Illegal Trade in Pelts and Tiger Bone Wine
Just when greater protection of endangered species is needed, say conservationists, China is potentially rolling back its prohibition on products made from tigers.
This Zombie Caterpillar Fungus Is Hong Kong's Hottest Specialty Food
Hong Kong's favorite specialty food item—priced at thousands of dollars per pound—is a creepy, almost flavorless fungus that zombifies caterpillars and then grows out of their brains.