Ivory has been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries, primarily in Chinese and Ayurvedic practices, where ground or powdered tusk is prescribed for conditions ranging from seizures to skin infections. There is no modern scientific evidence that ivory has any unique medicinal properties, and international trade in elephant ivory is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Traditional Chinese Medicine Uses
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), elephant ivory is classified as “Dens Elephatis” and described as sweet in flavor and cold in nature. Practitioners have historically attributed a wide range of healing properties to it: reducing fever, clearing toxins, relieving convulsions, and promoting tissue regeneration. It has been prescribed for childhood seizures, sore throats, mouth ulcers, skin abscesses, and even bone infections like tuberculosis of the bone. U.S. Customs and Border Protection notes that Chinese medicine has promoted ground ivory as a treatment for “everything from epilepsy to sore throats.”
The most common medicinal form is ivory powder, made by grinding tusk material into a fine dust that can be mixed into herbal formulations or taken on its own. In TCM theory, ivory is said to act on the heart and kidney channels, which practitioners believe govern conditions related to fever, inflammation, and bone health. A Chinese patent application even describes using ivory powder specifically to treat bone tuberculosis and osteomyelitis, a bacterial bone infection.
Uses in Ayurvedic Medicine
Ivory also appears in traditional Indian healing. In the state of Kerala, India, there has been documented demand from the Ayurvedic industry for elephant tusks to prepare medicines. The ash produced by burning tusks, deer antlers, and animal horns is used in certain Ayurvedic formulations, with particular demand from northern Indian states. A proposal by a Kerala legislative committee to use confiscated tusks stored in zoos and museums for Ayurvedic drug production highlighted just how persistent this demand remains, though the proposal did not receive government approval.
What Ivory Is Made Of
Understanding why ivory has no special medicinal value starts with understanding what it actually is. Elephant tusks are made of dentin, the same material found inside human teeth. At a microscopic level, ivory consists of mineralized collagen fibers, a structure very similar to bone. The mineral component is primarily hydroxyapatite, a form of calcium phosphate that makes up the hard portion of all teeth and bones in mammals.
This means that when someone ingests ground ivory, they are essentially consuming calcium phosphate and collagen fragments. These are the same basic components you would get from grinding up any animal bone or tooth. There is nothing chemically unique about elephant ivory that would produce medicinal effects unavailable from far more common (and legal) calcium sources.
No Scientific Evidence of Effectiveness
No peer-reviewed clinical trial has demonstrated that ivory powder treats seizures, infections, fevers, or any other condition it has been traditionally prescribed for. The claimed benefits are rooted in theoretical frameworks within TCM and Ayurveda that predate modern pharmacology. While some traditional remedies have been validated by modern research (artemisinin for malaria, for example), ivory is not among them.
The conditions ivory was historically used for, particularly childhood convulsions and bacterial infections, now have effective, well-studied treatments. Antibiotics treat bone infections. Anticonvulsant medications manage seizures. Ground calcium phosphate does neither of these things, regardless of whether it comes from an elephant tusk or a cow bone.
The Illegal Trade Behind Medicinal Ivory
Despite the lack of evidence, demand for medicinal ivory persists and fuels poaching. On the black market in Asia, ivory can sell for up to $1,500 per pound. A pair of male elephant tusks can weigh around 250 pounds combined, making a single animal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to poachers. This staggering value has earned ivory the nickname “white gold.”
International commercial trade in elephant ivory has been banned since 1989 under CITES, which nearly every country in the world has signed. Buying, selling, or transporting ivory across international borders for any purpose, including medicine, is illegal in most jurisdictions. Several countries, including China, have also enacted domestic bans on ivory sales. Despite these laws, enforcement remains a challenge, and medicinal use continues to be one of the drivers of illegal demand alongside ivory carving and jewelry.
Conservation groups estimate that tens of thousands of African elephants are killed by poachers each year. Medicinal demand, while smaller than the decorative ivory market, contributes to this toll by maintaining a perception that ivory is a valuable healing substance when the evidence says otherwise.