Why is bear bile obsolete?  

Bear bile is really like the bile of other mammals, although for reasons we don't entirely understand, bear bile has an increased amount of one chemical, a bile acid called ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA.)  This bile acid has distinctive biochemical properties that seem to protect the liver and biliary system from the more corrosive effects of other bile acids.  UDCA has been recognized for at least forty years to be the  therapeutic constituent of bear bile and has been studied extensively.  We know of no other constituents of bear bile that have this or any other therapeutic effect.  At present, pharmaceutical UDCA is taken by patients who suffer from disorders of the biliary system and liver. However, active research in the treatment of neurological disease, eye disease and heart attack are quite promising.  

The reason bear bile is obsolete is really quite simple.  UDCA is now produced in large quantities by pharmaceutical companies.  Because all mammals produce bile in their gallbladders, bile is taken from slaughterhouses, and through a series of chemical reactions pharmaceutical companies can isolate pure UDCA. The end result are brand-name medications such as Actigall, Ursofalk, Urso, Urso Forte and others. These pure UDCA products are now used by millions of patients worldwide. These medications are safe, widely available, and much more affordable than bear bile, which is actually extremely expensive.  Moreover, pharmaceutical-grade UDCA is always regulated by agencies like the FDA, so it is manufactured according to strict standards of consistency and purity.  The point is this: There is no reason to take bile from bears when the active agent is available from other sources.  

We find serious flaws with bear farm products when they are considered as medicines.  Farmed bears have a high rate of liver cancers which are probably the result of chronic infection and inflammation of the gall bladder and liver.  This, coupled with the collection techniques, results in bile that, by its nature contains pus (while blood cells), debris, skin cells, and other impurities.  We wonder if some of these elements are present in the compounds ingested by patients.  In addition, without analysis of each sample, it is impossible to know how much active drug is present in a given dose.  After all, each bear produces different amounts of UDCA at different times.

We want to emphasize that we neither criticize nor condemn traditional Chinese medicine for its use of bear bile.  We are grateful for the discovery of UDCA by traditional medicine.  That being said, change and evolution are a part of all progress, and while Western medicine has learned and benefited from TCM, the reverse should apply to the use of bear bile.  In fact, this is largely the case; bear bile is now actually avoided by many TCM practitioners.  However, because the population of China and other Asian countries is so large, even a small percentage of users can create significant demand for this product.  In conclusion, we share a strong conviction with much of the traditional Chinese medicine community that the ingestion of bear bile is one practice that has outlived its usefulness.  It is simply no longer necessary.  

Knowledge is power.  We believe that those who continue to endorse the use of bear bile do not understand the true nature of bear bile and its relationship to UDCA.  We hope that the governments of China and other Asian countries now supporting bear farming will recognize the logic of these facts and act in the best interest of their populations.  By eliminating the use of bear bile and publicly supporting the use of the more consistent and affordable pharmaceuticals, they will actually enhance the health of those who need the therapeutic benefits of UDCA.    

Finally, this shift in policy will benefit the critically endangered Asiatic black bear, which is target of intense trapping for use in bear farms.  These beautiful bears are valued by many citizens, much as we value and take pride in our native bears of North America.  The recovery of the Asiatic black bear in its native habitat has a worth that cannot and will not be fully appreciated until the last bear is gone.    

(Detailed background on Asian bile trade and  uses for bear bile, prepared by ACRES)
Note: Medical references for this section are not available as on line links.  Copyrighted medical journals and textbooks cannot be reproduced without permission of the publisher.  More information can be made available upon request.

We hope that phamaceutical grade UDCA will, one day, completely replace the use of bear bile.  When this happens, bear farms will no longer have a use.