5 ms·
If we could reliably show that ground rhino horns and tiger penises work, we'd be using them, or finding an easily mass produced derivatives.
by oldgradstudent 4y ago
If we could reliably show that ground rhino horns and tiger penises work, we'd be using them, or finding an easily mass produced derivatives.
- wongarsu 4y agoIf they'd work we we would quickly start trying to find the one chemical in them that is responsible for that, and once successful find a way to synthesize it from cheaper to source ingredients. In the end you'd just have an ointment that says "active ingredient: acetylsalicylic acid" and it's up to the marketing department whether they want to mention rhinos or not.
- borski 4y agoGives new meaning to Tiger balm
- oldgradstudent 4y agoThat's skipping a few steps. When insulin was discovered in 1921-2, it was only known that a pancreatic extract that has gone through some specific chemical processes could lower blood sugar. International units of insulin were initially defined not by the quantity of material, but rather by their effect. An international unit was defined to be the amount of extract that once given to a 24-hour fasted 1 kg rabbit, would lower its blood glucose level to 45 mg/L. Only in the 1950s, it was discovered that insulin was a specific protein, and the definition was updated accordingly. We could use rhino horns well before the chemical is isolated and a synthesized.
- krisoft 4y agoSame as we did with willow bark and ended up with aspirin we have today. History of aspirin: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjh.14520 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjh.14520
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]