Deer Penis And Turtle Blood Cocktails Are A No-Go For Chinese Olympians

Chinese Olympians must be having a rough time now that deer penis soup slurping contests and turtle blood bongs are an obsolete choice. China’s Olympic governing body considered banning herbal medicine a few months back, and have now assembled a list of banned herbal substances (good luck deciphering) this week because of fears that herbal concoctions will result in positive doping tests, since numerous mixtures contain ephedrine. Which, of course, is obvious because a deer penis has some serious kick.

While China’s top athletes have long sought a competitive edge by ingesting traditional concoctions, those customs are fading amid stricter doping rules and concern that drug scandals will embarrass the host nation during the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The nation’s sports stars are replacing millennia-old elixirs with vitamins, protein shakes and Western remedies.

Traditional Chinese medicines may contain banned substances such as the stimulant ephedrine or interact with each other to trigger positive doping tests, said Ai Hua, a doctor for China’s gymnastics and weightlifting teams during the 2004 games.

Did they say anything about bull’s balls? Are bull’s balls still ok? Actually, the fact China is deliberately prescribing methods to maintain a level playing field during the games is commendable. Until, you know, China’s Olympic committee decides to take away sit down toilets from Westerners because they care about “human rights” and “Tibet.” Then we’ll see who’s really playing hardball.

Deer Penis Loses Favor as China’s Olympians Fear Drug Testers [Bloomberg]
Image [Natural Health Blog]