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Bear / Cow Bile

Xiong Dan 熊胆 (Bear Bile, TCM)
Niu Dan 牛胆 (Cow Bile, TCM)
Dom mkhris  དོམ་མཁྲིས  (Bear Bile, Tibetan Medicine)
Dried Cow Gall Bladder as used in Tibetan Medicine in place of Bear Bile. (Adam, 2016)

Zoological name:
Traditionally, Bear Bile has been used in both East and West:
  1. Ursus arctos (European Brown Bear)
  2. Ursus thibetanus (Asian Black Bear)
  3. Others such as the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
However, modern substitutes use other animals including:
  1. Cow
  2. Sheep, Pig, Goat
  3. Rabbit bile has been demonstrated to have similar efficacy.

Parts used:
Bear Gall Bladder / Bile (Traditional)
Cow (or other) Gall Bladder / Bile (Modern)

Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Bitter

Uses:
1. Clears Liver Heat, Stops Spasms: (TCM, West)
-Childhood Convulsions, Epilepsy (TCM, West);
-Paralysis (West)
-Eclampsia
-Delirium
-Hepatitis, Jaundice

2. Clears Heat, Resists Poison: (TCM, West)
-all types of Fever and Poison (Salmon)
-Hot-toxin Sores, Carbuncles, Furuncles, Lesions
-acute severe Sore Throat
-topically to alleviate pain including Hemorrhoids

3. Clears Heat, Benefits the Eyes: (TCM, West)
-severe red, painful, swollen eyes; conjunctivitis, nebula (topically and internally)
-'Films, Clouds, Pin and Web, Pearls, or other diseases which hurt the Sight' (Salmon)

4. Childhood Nutritional Impairment: (TCM, West)
-used for various types of nutritional impairment in Children
-Salmon said taken with Stomach Tincture it 'warms and restores the Body'. (Seplasium)

5. Constricts the Vessels, Heals Nerves:
-special effect of constricting the mouth of the vessels (Tibetan Medicine)
-promotes growth of damaged nerves (Tibetan Medicine)

6. Externally:
-applied to red, sore, swollen eyes
-Wounds, Ulcers, Fistulas, Cancers (West)
-applied to clear Freckles, Spots, Pigmentations, Scurf, Sunburn and similar skin deformities
-dropped in the ears for Deafness and Tinnitus
-topically to Toothache
-stops necrosis, promotes growth of new flesh (Tibetan Medicine)


DOSE:
Used in Pills and Powders; also used externally.
Bear Bile (Traditional): 1–2 grams; the dose in the West for Bear Bile was 1 scruple (1.3 grams)
Cow (or other) Bile: 1.5–3 grams

COMMENT:
1. Bear Bile, although still available on the Chinese market, should be totally avoided due to the endangered nature of some species, particularly in Tibet and China, but mostly due to the cruelty associated with farmed Bear Bile. The efficacy of other animal Bile, although requiring a larger dose, means that there is no reason to continue using Bear bile.
2. It should be noted that Bear Bile was also previously highly regarded as a medicine in northern European countries. Salmon (Seplasium, 1693) says 'the Norwegians esteem it as a panacea in all diseases'

SUBSTITUTE:
1. As stated above, Cow Bile or Gall Bladder is typically used as a substitute for Bear Bile. Other animals including Sheep, Goat etc.
2. Recent research has shown Rabbit Bile to be useful and effective as a substitute for Bear Bile, having very similar therapeutic effects
3. Saussurea likiangensis and S. pachyneura (Kon pa gab skyes) is typically used as a vegetable substitute for Bear Bile in modern Tibetan Medicine.

Main Combinations:
1. All types of Fever and Poison:
i. Bear (Cow) Bile, Bezoar, Cochineal, Camphor (Salmon)
ii. Bear (Cow) Bile, Bezoar, Tabasheer, Pearl, Red Coral, Camphor
2. Febrile Convulsions in Children:
i. Bear (Cow) Bile with Curcuma Yu Jin, Alum (TCM0
ii. Bear (Cow) Bile, Pearl, Tabasheer
3. Epilepsy:
i. Bear (Cow) Bile, Peony, Mistletoe, Amber
ii. Bear (Cow) Bile was taken with the salt extracted from a Man's Skull (West)
4. Hepatitis, Jaundice:
-Bear (Cow) Bile with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao
5. Severe red, painful, swollen eyes:
i. Bear (Cow) Bile with Borneo Camphor, applied topically (TCM)
ii. Bear (Cow) Bile, Pearl, Coptis Huang Lian as eye drops. (TCM)
6. Fire Toxin causing Carbuncles, severe painful and swollen throat, mouth, tongue or gums:
i. Bear (Cow) Bile with Picrorhiza (Hu Huang Lian), Coptis Huang Lian, Catechu, Borneo Camphor (Bing Pian), Bezoar (Niu Huang), Musk (She Xiang) (as in Wan Ying Ding)
ii. Bear (Cow) Bile with Bezoar (Niu Haung), Pearl (Zhen Zhu), Toad Venom (Chan Su), Realgar (Xiong Huang), Cinnabar (Zhu Sha), Borax (Peng Sha), Frankincense (Ru Xiang), Myrrh (Mo Yao), Dragons Blood (Xue Jie), Borneol (Bing Pian) (as in Dian She Wan)
7. Films and obstructions of the eyes, Bear (Cow) Bile (1 oz.), with Honey, Tincture of Aloes (½ dram each), and Verdigris (10 grains); form a collyrium (Salmon, Seplasium)
8. Wounds, Fistulas, Bear (Cow) Bile, made into an ointment with oil, wax and turpentine (Salmon)
9. Freckles and Spots, mixed with equal amount of Brandy and applied topically (West)
10. Scars, mix Rocket juice with Ox Bile and apply often. (The Secrets of Alexis, 1615)
11. Toothache, Bear (Cow) Bile mixed with Tincture of Opium and applied topically (West)

Major Formulas:
Barberry 8 Powder (Skyer sun brgyad pa) (Tibetan Medicine)
Shilajit 9 (Brag zun dgu pa) (Tibetan Medicine)
Possessor of Ruby Color (Pad rag mdog ldan) (Tibetan Medicine)
Chebula 18 for Urinary Incontinence (Gcin snyi a ru 18) (Tibetan Medicine)
Crystal Moon 37 (Zla shel so bdun) (Tibetan Medicine)
Dian She Wan (TCM)
Wan Ying Ding

Cautions:
Only used for Heat diseases; contraindicated in deficiency

Main Preparations used: