TCM costs rise as donkey herds dwindle

Gelatin from animals' hides used for making traditional Chinese medicine

Yu Pang, the mother of a 4-month-old baby, plans to buy an entire kilogram of ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin, a traditional Chinese medicine) as insurance against price hikes.

"I heard that the Dong'e Ejiao has raised its factory-gate price, which means retail prices will soon rise," Yu, of Jinan, capital of Shandong province, told China Daily on Thursday.