ENDANGERED pangolins will no longer be recommended remedies in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), according to an update to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia this week.
Last Fri China upgraded all species of the scaly creatures (pictured) from "second class" to "first class" protected animals, due to over-hunting and habitat destruction.
Officials have consequently removed the unusual anteaters from the official listing of TCM.
Pangolins are believed to be one of the world's most endangered and illegally trafficked mammal species, according to the Global Times.
Hunting in the wild was banned in 2007 by China, while commercial imports of pangolins and pangolin products ceased in 2018.
However, lax enforcement and a strong belief in the power of pangolin scales to promote blood circulation have led to ongoing demand.
Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, and the creatures have also been postulated as the "missing link" for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus from bats to humans - although formal scientific evidence of the connection has not been forthcoming.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 12 Jun 20
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