various other species, such as dogs, pigs, bears and horses. The cost of "common" tiger bone wine is significantly cheaper than a "true" one. Variants The original ingredients are often commonly substituted with herbs, similarly as in the case of the liniment Dit Da Jow: even in those cases, the beverage is still referred to as "tiger bone wine." There are more than 200 variants, produced with angelica, licorice, scutellaria, and/or Ligusticum striatum (川芎 chuānxiōng), which generally generate the same effects and reactions in those who use them. Goat blood, python meat, psoralen, cockroaches, bezoars, moss, rhinoceros horns, and Cordyceps sinensis are sometimes included in the beverage. Production The production has not changed over the past centuries, using the following steps: After the skin and muscles are peeled off, bones and even entire skeletons arrive at the distillery where they are soaked several times in alcohol. The bones are then removed and the remaining liquid is put into phials. The phials are stored in batches to mature for a minimum of three years, before they are ready to be distributed. Tiger bone wine is easier to preserve in its bottle form and, being alcoholic, it may be stored for a long time without spoiling. Medical purposes In China, in accordance with the field of medical research, tiger bone cannot legally be used for testing after government authorization. It can be used as a beauty emollient. The calcium and protein found in tiger bones are said to have healing properties, and they are often used as an anti-inflammatory drug to treat: rheumatism; arthritis; general weakness; headaches; stiffness or paralysis in lower back and legs; dysentery. Apart from stimulating blood flow, the popular belief is that it is also considered to have properties that boost intelligence quotient and that increase virility in men. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" is a catalogue that was written over four hundreds years ago by the Chinese physician-scientist Li Shizhen. It credits tiger bones with driving off evil spirits, ghosts, and poisons; stopping convulsions; and treating acne. Controversy and conservation issues Examinations conducted by different NGOs, such as the Environmental Investigation Agency, have reported that several 'farms' are closely linked to the production and distribution of the liquor on the black markets. Around 1,800 tigers are kept in the tiger farms of Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Mountain Village, in Guilin, in southwest China, in order to be