There’s a laundry list of traditional medicine ingredients which are of dubious medical value, and are harvested brutally. However, one such traditional remedy might save lives — and thankfully it’s already been created synthetically in the lab. Bear bile was historically harvested from the internal organs of bears kept in tiny cages, and was deeply desired because it contains ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). According to traditional medicine, it’s used to reduce fever, protect the liver, improve eyesight, break down gallstones, and act as an anti-inflammatory. Western medicine calls it useful for decreasing production of cholesterol in the body and dissolving gallstones. Now an even more important use may have been discovered for it.
New research has shown that UDCA could treat treat abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), both in fetuses and people who have suffered heart attacks. The UDCA attacks myofibroblasts, which are pathological cells that interfere with signal transmission in the heart. The acid alters the electrical properties of the myofibroblasts, stopping them from blocking the electrical signals across the heart.
And yes, it can be synthesized without torturing any more bears.
