This sort of thing really bothers me too.

I actually watched an interesting tv program on this last weekend. Check Netflix and look for Rotten. Really an eye opener as I had no idea about the plight of the Pangolins.

First off, I want to say I agree with you.

And I want to further qualify that statement and say that I am a fully-qualified doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, retired now. 
And further to that I’d like to add that this substance *chuan shan jia* has been listed by the TCM profession around the world on the [CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species](https://www.cites.org/). Professional practitioners who operate through Professional Associations and Government regulated bodies across the entire world are members of CITES. 

The profession as a whole does not support the use of these medicines. *Every* Materia Medica will have the details of the substance in a new chapter in modern books called “Obsolete substances” or words to that effect. We learn about them, and their actions, so that we know *what to replace them with* — because the epistemological framework in TCM is such that an action of a medicine can be replicated with one or more replacements that perform the same pharmacodynamic. 

In Western Medicine, this idea is similar to “off-label prescribing” where one who understands the pharmacological action of a drug can use it in cases that it is not officially designated to do. It’s ‘off-label’ because there is yet sufficient evidence for it to become policy. In both East and West, this is not because there is no evidence, but ‘not enough’ to satisfy government policy makers. And, if the profit-margin for a drug being used for action-“y” isn’t as good as what a company is making for its use for action-“x”, then it’s not going to bother with the research. Money is the sole determinant in medical research, folks — sad, but true.

However I digress, but knowing this gives maybe some context.

So Pangolin scales — *chuan shan jia* — are studied as an obsolete substance due to its endangered nature. We then know know *not* to use it, and can easily replace it in formulas with other plant-based ingredients.

And here is what Pangolin scales were used for: promoting blood flow and reducing masses, improving menstruation and lactation. It’s main use was ***for treatment of arthritic pain.***

Because here is the thing about Pangolin scales — scientific research into them shows they reduce clotting times and can improve blood viscosity. They also have a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect. They may well be “just keratin”, but they also contain stearic acid, cholesterol, N-butyl tricosylamide, cyclo (L-seryl-L-tyrosyl), cyclo (D-seryl-L-tyrosyl), and micro-nutrients such as zinc, sodium, titanium, calcium, lead, silicon, phosphorus, iron, manganese, chromium, magnesium, nickel, copper, barium, boron, aluminum, molybdenum, and tin. 

In aqueous solution they contain 16 types of free amino acids, such as aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cysteine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine, and proline. Besides, it also contains volatile oil, water soluble alkaloids, etc.

Those using Pangolin scales will not be professional practitioners who have gone through a University education, even a Communist-Government state-sponsored academy, learning from  communist-government approved textbooks (all of which list Pangolin scales as obsolete substances). They will be uneducated, folk healers; I’m sure though there would also be Mavericks out there who break the rules also.

The sheer number of beasts found in this haul suggests to me something else however; because folk healers in small rural villages who don’t have ‘official’ text books a) don’t have the money to purchase at such volumes nor to buy what is now expensive; and b) tend to forage medicines from the wild, and therefore what is found in their immediate environment.

The volume of such suggests what would be needed for scientific research. Given the capacity of this substance to reduce pain — and whatever you may think of TCM, scholars and practitioners kept meticulous records of case files over the span of 2000 years, empirical clinical evidence — I can guarantee you that drug companies are wanting to research it in order to replicate / synthesise it.

We have a worldwide problem with extinctions, and it’s not just cute furry (or scaly) animals. We are also losing plant species due to clearing of land for dwellings and for grazing and mono-cropping. We are poisoning the land with insecticides, which kill insects, which are part of maintaining bio-diversity. And all in the name of feeding the world and providing raw ingredients for mass-produced, highly-refined junk food.

Shit is fucked up right now.

Poor animals..

They just smoke them out of the trees and because their natural instincts they curl up ready to be picked up without a sweat.

The scales get traded by the thousand of tonnes. 

It's truly disheartening.

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What is there one could say..

I first of heard of this creature a few years ago and it even inspired me during my animals in chairs series, having made one in my art. It is a sad state indeed @steevc for these poor creatures which surely do seem like magical creatures but if we had unicorns, they'd probably be extinct as well. Such is the way of the human animal :/

Wow, that is pretty lame that people are doing that. Next thing you know they will be killing armadillos because they think they are magical.  Too bad someone couldn't claim that mosquitoes have some special property.  I would be totally okay with those being hunted to extinction!