Although there are discrepancies between the way they are used in folk remedies and the way they are described in traditional books of pharmacology, many animal medicinal ingredients have been confirmed as indeed being effective and remain in wide use today.
像過去主治清心解毒、去熱病的牛黃，現在則以有更具體療效﹘﹘治咽喉腫痛、牙根出血、頭痛暈眩的「牛黃解毒片」在市面上出現。雖然民間藥的用法和藥書上的記載已有出入，但有許多仍被採用者確認有效，至今仍廣為流傳。