What is the use of elephant teeth?

Ivory is a white hard object, and its main component is dentin. In a narrow sense, ivory refers to the tusks of male Asian elephants, African elephants and mammoths. In a broad sense, ivory can also refer to the tusks or teeth of hippos, wild boars, walruses, whales and other animals. With the wanton killing, the number of existing elephants has gradually decreased. In order to protect elephants from extinction, at present, many countries prohibit the import and sale of ivory, or impose great restrictions on the ivory trade.

Ivory has a long history as a high-grade jewelry because of its warm and delicate material and special color. In ancient times, ivory was a valuable material for making tooth carvings, fans and dice. In modern times, it is used as ornaments or utensils, such as tooth carving, billiards, dice, keys, mahjong, buttons and so on. According to China's classic medical skill Compendium of Materia Medica, grinding ivory into powder has the effect of calming the nerves. In Buddhism, ivory is regarded as a sacred mascot to ward off evil spirits and can be used for sacrifice.

Ivory is the tooth of an Asian elephant, which is an elephant-like animal. Generally, they are carved into exquisite carvings, which are very precious, so the remaining scraps are used for medicine. Besides medicine, ivory ornaments have many functions. As early as the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica had recorded the medicinal effects of ivory, such as grinding ivory into powder to calm the nerves, and eliminating dampness and detoxifying. In addition to medical use, ivory powder also has cosmetic effects. It is said that it is like an animal with high yang, so it is more common in places with yin and evil, and has the effect of exorcising evil spirits. Ivory is the strongest part of an elephant. In traditional culture, it is endowed with special Feng Shui significance: to ward off evil spirits, to attract wealth and to live in peace. Ivory can be placed in a place with too much yin, which is of great help to the home environment.