Bears produce about two kilos of bile a year. The animals can be milked for up to 13 years. China harvests 7,000 kilos of bile annually, but consumes only 4,000 kilos. The remainder is sold to Japanese and Korean tour groups or becomes an exotic, but useless, addition to products such as shampoo, hemorrhoid cream, cough syrup and tea. Some is illegally smuggled to Hong Kong's medicine shops.
People believe because it's farmed, it's okay.
Unlike tiger bone, which has a mythical reputation as an arthritis cure, bear bile has proven medicinal value. First listed in Chinese medical journals in the seventh century, it is widely prescribed in traditional treatments for ailments such as chronic liver problems, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. In Korea it is used as a general tonic. Practitioners say the synthetic version is as effective as the real thing. And it is becoming more popular.