Growing Market for an Unlikely Product
In China, a surprising new trade is emerging: the online sale of human fingernails. Items that are usually discarded as waste are being collected, processed, and sold—largely for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
According to practitioners, fingernails are believed to carry medicinal properties. They are sometimes used to treat childhood ailments such as bloating or inflamed tonsils. While modern medicine does not endorse these claims, demand within traditional healing markets is strong enough to create a niche but growing industry.
From Waste to Commodity
Reports suggest that companies producing herbal and traditional medicines purchase fingernails from schools and rural communities. Before being used, the nails are carefully cleaned, dried, and ground into fine powder. This powder is then added to certain remedies.
Fingernails, however, are difficult to source in bulk. On average, an adult produces only around 100 grams of nail growth per year. This limited supply has contributed to their rising price.
In a recent case highlighted by the Chinese news outlet Kan Kan News, a woman from Hebei province began selling her lifelong collection of fingernails online. She explained that she had been saving her clippings since childhood instead of throwing them away. Today, she sells them at about 150 yuan per kilogram (roughly US$21). Although the income is modest, it reflects how everyday waste can become a small source of profit.
Strict Preferences and Quality Control
Interestingly, buyers only accept fingernails from hands; toenails are categorically rejected. Processors inspect every batch with care to avoid contaminated or low-quality material. This scrutiny reflects the long-standing cultural association between purity, body parts, and medicine in traditional Chinese practices.
Experts also note that the rise of nail polish in the 1960s reduced the perceived value of nails in medicine. The presence of chemical coatings made them less suitable for remedies. However, with renewed public interest in natural and alternative therapies, the demand for untreated, “clean” nails has grown once more.
Traditional Medicine and Modern Curiosity
China’s traditional medicine industry is valued at hundreds of billions of dollars and continues to shape health practices across the country. Many Chinese citizens, particularly in rural areas, rely on herbal and folk remedies either alongside or instead of conventional medicine.
The fingernail trade, though unusual, reflects this broader cultural trend. It shows how traditional beliefs can create commercial demand for unconventional materials. While the practice may appear bizarre to outsiders, it highlights the persistence of alternative medicine in China’s healthcare landscape.
Looking Ahead
The trade in human nails is still a small-scale phenomenon, but it could expand as interest in TCM ingredients grows. Observers suggest that other unlikely natural materials may also find new value in future health markets.
What seems like a peculiar business, therefore, is in fact part of a much larger story: the continuing influence of traditional Chinese medicine on daily life, commerce, and cultural identity in modern China.
