Bear Bile Powder is a name for a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dried product obtained by surgically draining bile from the gallbladder of bears of the family Ursidae, specifically the Tibetan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus G. Cuvier) or the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus). It is primarily produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Tibet, Xinjiang, as well as in Northeast and North China. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, calming the liver and improving vision, and killing parasites and stopping bleeding.It is primarily used to treat damp-heat jaundice, summer-heat and dampness-induced diarrhea and dysentery, febrile convulsions, red eyes with corneal opacities, sore throat, nasal erosion, carbuncles, hemorrhoids with fistula, malnutrition in children, roundworm infections, and various types of bleeding.
Bear Bile Powder
Bear Bile Powder is a name for a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dried product obtained by surgically draining bile from the gallbladder of bears of the family Ursidae, specifically the Tibetan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus G. Cuvier) or the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus). It is primarily produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Tibet, Xinjiang, as well as in Northeast and North China. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, calming the liver and improving vision, and killing parasites and stopping bleeding.It is primarily used to treat damp-heat jaundice, summer-heat and dampness-induced diarrhea and dysentery, febrile convulsions, red eyes with corneal opacities, sore throat, nasal erosion, carbuncles, hemorrhoids with fistula, malnutrition in children, roundworm infections, and various types of bleeding.
Chinese Name : 熊胆粉
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Bitter in taste, cold in nature. Enters the Liver, Gallbladder, and Heart meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat and detoxifies; calms the liver and improves vision; kills parasites and stops bleeding.
Indications
Mainly used to treat damp-heat jaundice, summer-heat and dampness-induced diarrhea and dysentery, febrile diseases with convulsions, red eyes with corneal opacities, sore throat, nasal erosion, boils, hemorrhoidal fistulas, malnutrition in children, roundworm infections, and various types of bleeding.
Usage and Dosage
0.25–0.5 g; used in pills and powders, but not in decoctions; apply externally as needed.
Precautions
Contraindicated for those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold; contraindicated for pregnant women.
Chemical Constituents
Contains bile acids, primarily tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid and tauro-chenodeoxycholic acid; upon hydrolysis, these yield taurine, ursodeoxycholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid.Ursodeoxycholic acid is a component unique to bear bile. In addition, it contains various amino acids, cholesterol, bile pigments, and inorganic elements such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Pharmacological Actions
Bear bile powder has cholagogue, antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, hypoglycemic, sedative, antiallergic, and antithrombotic effects.Bile acids promote bile secretion; both ursodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid possess antispasmodic, cholagogue, and gallstone-dissolving properties, as well as detoxifying, hangover-relieving, anticonvulsant, and bronchodilatory effects; the bile acid salts it contains promote the digestion and absorption of fats, lipids, and fat-soluble vitamins, thereby aiding digestion.In addition, this product can reduce myocardial oxygen consumption and possesses certain antiarrhythmic effects; its compound preparations also promote the metabolism of corneal epithelial cells at the site of corneal opacities, accelerating their renewal.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica*: Bear bile has the same taste and nature as elephant bile, and its therapeutic indications are also similar. All types of bile are extremely bitter and cold in nature, and they act on the Liver and Gallbladder meridians to dispel excess heat. In children with malnutrition-related accumulation (gan ji), opacities often form within the eyes due to the stagnation of pathogenic heat in the Liver and Spleen; this leads to a daily depletion of qi and blood in these two organs and progressively worsening obstruction.Using this to clear heat from the Liver, Gallbladder, and Spleen meridians will eliminate internal pathogenic factors and remove external opacities. However, if opacities in the eyes are not caused by malnutrition-related conditions, or if they occur as a result of cloudiness following smallpox, this is often due to deficiency of both the Liver and Kidney. In such cases, the priority should be to nourish Yin, tonify blood, and clear heat; none of the gallbladder-derived substances should be used.
2. *Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances*:It treats the five types of kan in children, kills parasites, and cures malignant sores.
3. *Tang Bencao*: It treats jaundice resulting from excessive internal heat, prolonged diarrhea during the summer months, and chest pain.
4. *Rihua Zi Bencao*: It treats kan-related sores, true nasal sores, and various kan-related diseases.
5. *Introduction to Medicine*: Applied to the eyes to remove opacities and restore vision.Applied topically to treat malignant sores, hemorrhoids, and fistulas.
6. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: Reduces fever, clears heat from the heart, harmonizes the liver, improves vision and removes corneal opacities, and kills roundworms and pinworms.
7. *Commentary on the Materia Medica*: Treats sore throat.
8. *In Search of the Origins of Materia Medica*: Treats blood stasis and hematuria.
9. *Dietary Spectrum of Suixi Residence*: Treats abscesses.
Applications
Related Medicines
Proprietary Chinese medicine formulations include Bibai Ke Capsules, Hemorrhoid-Relief Ointment, Bear Bile Capsules, Bear Bile Heart-Rescuing Pills, and Bear Bile Hemorrhoid-Relief Suppositories.
Related Prescriptions
1. For treating childhood convulsions and epilepsy: Take two soybean-sized pieces of bear bile, mix with breast milk and bamboo sap, and administer. This also removes phlegm from the heart. (*Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*)
2. For all types of malnutrition in children, abdominal distension due to deficiency, a tendency to eat dirt, and high fever in the limbs: 1 qian of bear bile (ground), half a qian of musk (ground), one wall lizard (remove head, legs, and tail; wrap in flour and roast until cooked, then grind), and 1 qian of Coptis (remove the stalks and use the powder). Grind all ingredients together into a very fine powder, mix with toad venom to form pills the size of a millet seed.Take five pills per dose, washed down with rice soup. Adjust the dosage according to the child’s age; there is no specific time restriction. (From *Comprehensive Treatise on Pediatric Hygiene and Prescriptions*: Bear Bile and Musk Pills)
3. For treating wasting disease and emaciation: Bear bile and Jujube seed kernels, each in equal parts. Grind finely, place in a porcelain vessel, steam until melted, mix with day-old steamed buns, and form into pills the size of a sesame seed. Take twenty pills with rice drink; no specific time restriction. (From *Comprehensive Treatise on Pediatric Health and Prescriptions*: Bear Bile Pills)
4. For treating infant milk-induced wasting disease, jaundice, emaciation, body heat, and restlessness: One fen of bear bile,half liang of indigo powder, half liang of toad venom, half liang of Coptis powder, and one fen of ox bile. Grind all ingredients into a fine powder. Mix with pig bile juice to form pills the size of mung beans. Take five pills with porridge broth three times daily, adjusting the dosage according to the child’s age. (From *Shenghui Fang*)
5. For heart pain caused by roundworms: Take bear bile the size of a soybean and swallow it with water. (From *Wai Tai*)
6. For red eyes with corneal opacities: A small amount of bear bile. Melt it, add one or two pieces of borneol, and apply it to the affected area using a copper vessel. If accompanied by itchy, watery eyes, add a pinch of ground ginger. (*Qi Dong Ye Yu*: Bear Bile Pills)
7. For hemorrhoids that have persisted for ten years without healing: Apply bear bile topically until the condition resolves. (*Qian Jin Fang*)
8. For toothache caused by wind-insects: 3 qian of bear bile and 4 fen of borneol. Grind into a powder, mix with pig bile, and apply to the affected area. (*Essential Methods for Nourishing Life*)
9. For nasal erosion in children: Half a fen of bear bile. Dissolve in hot water and apply to the inside of the nose. (*Sacred Beneficial Formulas*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Filter the bile obtained through drainage twice, or use vacuum filtration or low-temperature centrifugation to remove impurities from the bear bile. Then dry naturally, by low-temperature drying, or by freeze-drying.
Processing Methods
Grind the herbal material into a fine powder and use directly.
Storage Methods
Store in a sealed container, protected from light, in a cool, dark, and dry place, and protect from moisture.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
Appears as irregular fragments, granules, or powder ranging in color from yellow to dark brown; some may be yellow-green or blackish-brown. It is translucent or slightly transparent, with a glass-like luster. It is brittle and readily absorbs moisture. It has a fresh, fragrant aroma with a faint fishy odor; the taste is extremely bitter with a slight aftertaste of sweetness and a cooling sensation.
Properties of Processed Slices
The finished product is a fine powder. It is golden yellow, yellow-green, or dark green in color. It has a fresh, fragrant aroma with a faint fishy odor; the taste is extremely bitter with a slight sweet aftertaste, and it provides a cooling sensation without sticking to the teeth.
Botanical Information
Morphological Characteristics
1. Black Bear
Large in size, measuring 1.5–1.7 m in length and weighing approximately 150 kg. The head is broad and round. The muzzle is short and pointed; the tip of the nose is bare, and the eyes are small. The ears are relatively long and covered with long hair, extending beyond the sides of the head. The neck is short and thick, with particularly long hair on both sides. There is an inverted V-shaped white patch on the chest. The tail is very short. The fur is relatively uniform and glossy.The limbs are thick and sturdy, with five toes on both front and hind feet; the carpal pads on the front feet are broad and connected to the palmar pads, while the plantar pads on the hind feet are also broad and thick, wider at the front and narrower at the back, with a hairless partition in the middle of the inner side. It has claws. Except for the brown nose and face, the white lower jaw, and the inverted V-shaped white patch on the chest, the entire body is glossy black.
2. Brown Bear
About 2 m long and weighing 200–300 kg. The muzzle is relatively long, and the nasal pad is broad.The ears are small, mobile, and covered with fur both inside and out. The shoulders are prominent, the loin is robust, and the tail is short. The claws on the forepaws are longer than those on the hindpaws. The claws are laterally flattened and curved, and dark brown in color. The coat ranges from dark brown or nearly black to very pale silvery gray, brownish-yellow, or reddish-brown. Adult bears lack white spots on the chest.
Distribution Area
It is distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Tibet, Xinjiang, as well as Northeast and North China.