1.   And Western medicine, too, has harnessed the active ingredient in bear gallbladders.

2.   Bear gallbladders are in demand by some Koreans who believe that they have remarkable medical powers when dried, ground into powder, then sprinkled in drinks and consumed.

3.   Pig gallbladders, for instance, can sometimes be mistaken for bear gallbladders, and camel bones often pass for tiger bones.

4.   As in some other Asian cultures, Koreans consider bear gallbladders a cure for ailments from toothache to epilepsy.

5.   There also has been an illegal trade of bear gallbladders, which are viewed as having medicinal value, particularly in parts of Asia.