traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

, a tiger penis (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''Pín hổ''; ) is said to have important therapeutic properties. However, there is no scientific proof that tiger penis can be used to treat any medical disorder. The demand for tiger parts exacerbates the endangered status of the tiger by providing a market for poachers. While tiger penis is consumed in parts of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, the consumption of tiger penis is often condemned by most countries and various

environmental groups An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the Conservation movement, conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or environmental degradation, degradation ...

. Genuine tiger penises are unlikely to be found for sale in public markets; what is usually sold as a tiger penis is made from cattle.

Health

The penis of a tiger, when consumed, is said to be a potent

aphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. Substances range from a variety of plants, spices, foods, and synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or cocain ...

and an effective treatment for

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...

."Aphrodisiacs and the Myth of Tiger Penis Magical Cures"
''Tigerhomes.org'' However, there is no scientific evidence to support the usage of tiger penis in the treatment of any disorder. This persistent

folk belief In folkloristics, folk belief or folk-belief is a broad genre of folklore that is often expressed in narratives, customs, rituals, foodways, proverbs, and rhymes. It also includes a wide variety of behaviors, expressions, and beliefs. Examples of c ...

has contributed to the poaching of tigers for their presumed benefits, the penis being just one of the tiger's many medicinal assets. A very large underground market in China and other parts of Asia exists to keep up with constant demand for tiger parts. Medical studies conducted by scholars at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

and the

University of Alaska The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...

claim that as the Chinese people are rapidly modernizing, more and more men are using

sildenafil Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...

(Viagra) instead of folk remedies to treat erectile dysfunction. The researchers surveyed 256 Chinese men, aged 50 to 76, who sought treatment at a large TCM clinic in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

over their methods to treat impotence. Although the studies indicated that older men in China are finding

(Viagra), a more effective treatment, they also indicated that they still resort to

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

treatments of (other) ailments such as

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

indigestion Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier t ...

and

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

Cuisine

People have been known to spend up to $5700 (£3000) on a particularly rare tiger penis dish, which needed to be ordered months in advance. In the 1990s, dried tiger penis was reported to have been sold at around $2500 (£1300) in Singapore and Taiwan. The penis can be taken in soup, ground in wine (tiger penis wine), or soaked in rice. One method of preparation, particularly in the

Mekong River Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

, is to place a dried tiger penis, with

testicle A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

s still attached, into a bottle of French

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cog ...

Chinese wine Wine (Chinese language, Chinese: ''pútáojiǔ'' lit. "grape alcohol") has a long history in China. Although long overshadowed by ''huangjiu'' (sometimes translated as "yellow wine") and the much stronger distilled spirit ''baijiu'', wine ...

and let it soak for a number of weeks. Then, as it matures, the liquor is taken in sips every night.

References

External links

A photograph of a bottle of tiger penis

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...

Distinguishing Real vs Fake Tiger Penises
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204062443/https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/tigerpenisidn6.pdf , date=2021-12-04 - U.S Fish and Wildlife Felidae anatomy Lao cuisine Mammal penis Traditional Chinese medicine Vietnamese cuisine

Health

Cuisine

See also

References

External links