 Reference Base  Under siege: poaching and protection of greater one-horne... |
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Menon, V., 1995. Under siege: poaching and protection of greater one-horned rhinoceroses in India. Delhi, Traffic India, pp. i-iv, 1-114
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| Location: |
Asia - South Asia - India |
| Subject: |
Value |
| Species: |
Asian Rhino Species |
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India. The horn was also ground up into a powder and mixed with drinking potions for use as an aphrodisiac.
Although African rhinoceros hom is documented to have been used as an aphrodisiac in Gujarat (Martin, 1979), Indian rhinoceros hom quickly fell out of use owing to the fact that it quickly became too expensive for Indians to afford, and also again because the prices being offered in the Orient were far greater than could be had in India. Also, the illegality of the trade and the strong penalties instituted against it were successful in discouraging most Indians from using it within the country. Martin (1983b) documented that about 50kg was annually consumed within India for domestic use at that time, but the findings for this report seemed to show that today even this fiaure is too hich. The very negligible quantities used today within India, added together, would not amount to more than a few horns.
The use of rhinoceros hom as an aphrodisiac has very many forms, all of them documented by Martin (1983b). It can either be mixed with herbs (in one case reported to be in a 1:6 ratio) and then dispensed, to be had with honey, cream, ghee or butter. Alternatively, the hom is burnt and the ash mixed with saffron, cardamom and honey and then retailed as a twice-daily dose. The present study found no evidence of the widespread use of rhinoceros hom in Gujarat as an aphrodisiac, as reported by Martin (1979).
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