What is bear bile farming?

The Chinese practice of extracting bile from captive bears for use in traditional medicinal products is called bile farming. Many animal welfare groups decry this as inhumane. Bear bile has been prized in the traditional Chinese medicine community for thousands of years. It�s got a reputation as being a sort of wonder drug, and its active ingredient, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), is believed to cure a number of ailments.