"Could Cause New Diseases"... Bizarre Chinese Traditional Medicine Ingredient Sold for 30,000 Won per Kilogram

Selling Fingernails Collected Since Childhood as Traditional Medicine Ingredient

A Chinese woman has attracted attention by selling fingernails she has collected and trimmed since childhood as an ingredient for traditional medicine. The price is reportedly 150 yuan (about 30,000 won) per kilogram.

On September 23, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) introduced a woman living in Hebei Province, China. She began collecting her fingernail clippings as a child, never throwing them away. This was not just a simple habit; she saved them each time specifically to use as an ingredient in traditional medicine.

In traditional Chinese medicine, fingernails are used as a therapeutic ingredient. In traditional Chinese medicine, a person's fingernails are called "Jintui" and are known to remove heat and toxins from the body and aid in wound healing. SCMP

In traditional Chinese medicine, fingernails are used as a therapeutic ingredient. In this tradition, human fingernails are called "Jintui" and are believed to remove heat and toxins from the body and aid in wound healing. The ancient medical text "Qianjin Yaofang," written by Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao, also contains related prescriptions. According to the text, parents would burn their child’s fingernails into ash, apply it to the mother’s chest, and have the child ingest it mixed with breast milk.

Until the 1960s, hospitals would sometimes prescribe this remedy. However, as other ingredients with similar effects became available, the use of fingernails gradually declined. One reason fingernails are not commonly used as a medicinal ingredient is that they are extremely difficult to obtain. On average, an adult grows only about 100 grams of fingernails per year. Nevertheless, in 2018, human fingernails gained renewed attention when they were used as one of the ingredients in "Houyanwan," a patented Chinese medicine. Houyanwan is used to treat throat inflammation and is based on an old traditional Chinese medicine prescription.

Hygiene and Source Controversy: "Are They Toenails?" Concerns Raised

A Chinese woman has attracted attention by selling fingernails she has collected since childhood. The photo is an AI-generated image to aid understanding of the article. ChatGPT

However, concerns have been raised regarding the source and hygiene of the fingernails. Some local internet users commented, "Fingernails are dirty and full of contaminants," "Toenails are probably mixed in," and "It might even cause diseases that didn't exist before." In response, Professor Li Jimin of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine explained, "Medical companies mainly purchase fingernails from schools and villages, and these collected fingernails undergo thorough washing, sterilization, heat processing, and are then ground into powder before being used as medicinal ingredients."

Meanwhile, there are also records of fingernails being used as medicinal ingredients in Korean traditional medicine. According to classic medical texts such as "Donguibogam," human fingernails were ground or burned and used to treat stomachaches, abnormal behavior in infants, removal of eye cataracts, postpartum care, and to stop bleeding. However, due to hygiene and ethical concerns, they are no longer used today.