FACT: Rhino horn does not contain medicinal properties. When a rhino is murdered, it is because of the thriving illegal rhino horn trade in Asia, mainly in China.

Yet despite overwhelming scientific evidence, the myths and superstitions found in “Traditional Chinese Medicine” continue to fuel demand for illegal rhino horn and decimate rhino populations.

Ecologist Raj Amin of the Zoological Society of London’s analysis of rhino horn composition and properties confirms that rhino horn is not a remedy.

Overall there isn’t much evidence to support the plethora of claims about the healing properties of the horns. In 1990, researchers at Chinese University in Hong Kong found that large doses of rhino horn extract could slightly lower fever in rats (as could extracts from Saiga antelope and water buffalo horn), but the concentration of horn given by a traditional Chinese medicine specialist are many many times lower than used in those experiments. In short, says Amin, you’d do just as well chewing on your fingernails.

Check out the video “Rhino Horn Lab” by PBS. (It would be helpful if PBS would have made this video available for embedding and sharing.)

What if we sent LOTS of fingernail clippings to the Chinese Embassy, insisting that they take action against China’s role in the illegal rhino horn trade?

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. Besides writing Rhino Horn is Not Medicine, I am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, the Editor of Project Pangolin, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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