Chinese social media erupts in debate over donkey-hide gelatin

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Social media has been a breeding ground for a range of debates, from the serious to the ridiculous. During the Spring Festival, China's social networks took to the topic of donkey-hide gelatin, known in China as ejiao.

On Feb.18, the Weibo account "12320 Health Hotline" published a list of things that they deemed not worthy of buying during the Chinese New Year. Going against the thinking of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, it said that ejiao is nothing more than "boiled donkey skin."

12320 Health Hotline's post. /Weibo Photo

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) claims that ejiao can be used to treat a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and even some types of cancers.

And in true social media fashion, the post spurred heated arguments among TCM groups. Some argued that one of the main components of donkey skin is collagen, which is believed to have health benefits.

Some netizens say it is better to eat eggs than to supplement protein using ejiao. TCM supporters, on the other hand, argued that the efficacy of glue tonic liver and kidney and blood filling is accurate. However, it is not appropriate to simply use one component to evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.

The "boiled donkey skin" post was later deleted from the 12320 Health Hotline Weibo page.

12320 Health Hotline is a secondary agency belonging to the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China. It mainly consults and reports public health complaints.

However, many interpreted the post as an official statement. Even some financial analysts said the "official opinion" may affect China's gelatin industry. The companies involved in this turmoil, such as Dongeejiao has not responded.

Handmade ejiao. /VCG Photo