Kunming Medicinal market

Dried centipedes in Kunming Traditional Medicine Market. Yunnan Province CHINA
Yunnan's rich flora and fauna has been heavily exploited. People have been using such things as walnuts, oil-palm, wild fungi, betel nuts, camphor, lacquer, chillies, longan, pomelo, angelica, devil-wood and countless others as medicinal plants for centuries. Over half the plant species in the whole of China are found in Yunnan. 1/4 of the country's medicinal plants grow there. Traditionally Chinese people have also viewed wild animals as a resource to be exploited rather than preserve. Health food in Yunnan is more likely to to mean snake blood, extracted bear bile, ground tiger's paw etc than carrot juice. Although there are many protected species and laws against the use of many animal products these laws don't seem to be respected. Sadly too, many of the things seen for sale in the markets are from other countries and there was a very high percentage of snakes, lizards, penises from different animals and sea creatures like sea horses.

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Filename: BJ764 Kunming Medicinal market.jpg
Copyright: © Pete Oxford
Image Size: 5374x3569 / 12.0MB; Animals China Dried centipedes Endangered species Exploited Flora Kunming Medicinal market Medicinal plants Rare species Yunnan Province fauna plants
Contained in galleries: China

Dried centipedes in Kunming Traditional Medicine Market. Yunnan Province CHINA<br />
Yunnan's rich flora and fauna has been heavily exploited. People have been using such things as walnuts, oil-palm, wild fungi, betel nuts, camphor, lacquer, chillies, longan, pomelo, angelica, devil-wood and countless others as medicinal plants for centuries. Over half the plant species in the whole of China are found in Yunnan. 1/4 of the country's medicinal plants grow there. Traditionally Chinese people have also viewed wild animals as a resource to be exploited rather than preserve. Health food in Yunnan is more likely to to mean snake blood, extracted bear bile, ground tiger's paw etc than carrot juice. Although there are many protected species and laws against the use of many animal products these laws don't seem to be respected. Sadly too, many of the things seen for sale in the markets are from other countries and there was a very high percentage of snakes, lizards, penises from different animals and sea creatures like sea horses.