Uses of rhino horn

Over the centuries man has used rhino horn in a wide variety of products.

The remains of a poached rhino.

Aphrodisiac

Most laymen in the West wrongly believe that rhino horn is primarily used as an aphrodisiac. The truth is that for centuries the two main uses of rhino horn have been ornamental and medicinal.

Ornamental Uses

Rhino horn has a beautiful translucent color when carved, and from as far back as A.D. 618 the Chinese have made ornamental bowl cups and other carvings. One of the rhino horn’s more useful purposes was for ornamental drinking cups to detect poisons. It is thought that this may have been because many early poisons were strong alkaloids that may have reacted strongly with the keratin and gelatin in the rhino horn, thereby indicating the presence of poison.

Daggers

In a number of the Gulf States, men traditionally wear daggers. In Yemen, in particular, the handles of the most expensive daggers, called “Djambiyas“, are still made out of a carved rhino horn. In contrast to the other materials used, such as water buffalo horn and plastic, rhino horn improves in luster with age. Thus it is the properties and quality of the horn that interest both the makers and the wearers of the daggers. Only recently has agate emerged as a high-quality substitute for rhino horn dagger handles, although agate handles are much more expensive.

Medicinal Uses

Rhino horn is a key ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Even today, traditional Chinese practitioners use rhino horn to treat life-threatening fevers. While current clinical evidence is inconclusive, the Chinese belief that rhino horn is a fever reducer may have some pharmaceutical basis. Interestingly, many consumers of rhino horn have no concept of where it comes from or that rhinos are endangered. They are simply taking the medicine prescribed to them by their respected medical practitioners.

In 1995 a conference was held and attended by TCM delegates from the Far East, as well as academics, government officials, and conservationists. The meeting indicated that there are strong cultural attachments to the merits of TCM. Some practitioners felt that the West maligns TCM and should not seek to legislate moral or health-care choices in the East.