Certain Chinese Herbs Can Cause Kidney Failure and Bladder Cancer
Monday July 24, 2006
According to a case report in the July 22 issue of The Lancet, Chinese herbs containing the plant ingredient aristolochic acid are believed to have been the cause of urinary bladder cancer and end-stage kidney failure in a 30-year old London man.
The toxicity of aristolochic acid is well-known. After numerous international reports of kidney failure, regulators in the United States, Canada, Britain, and other countries have banned aristolochic acid or issued strict warnings about it. Despite these efforts, it is still readily available online. Our Kidney Diseases Guide Dr. Brian Lipps has a helpful list of aristolochic acid-containing herbal pills and ingredients to look out for.
The accompanying editorial in The Lancet argues that "such cases provide ammunition to doctors who abhor alternative or complementary medicine while promulgating orthodox practice. But that position is not an open-minded one". And although well-designed studies and better monitoring of online stores are needed, the editorial went on to say that "western medicine would do well to embrace the herbal pharmacopoieas from countries such as China, with its long history of herbal remedies".
Related Resouces
The toxicity of aristolochic acid is well-known. After numerous international reports of kidney failure, regulators in the United States, Canada, Britain, and other countries have banned aristolochic acid or issued strict warnings about it. Despite these efforts, it is still readily available online. Our Kidney Diseases Guide Dr. Brian Lipps has a helpful list of aristolochic acid-containing herbal pills and ingredients to look out for.
The accompanying editorial in The Lancet argues that "such cases provide ammunition to doctors who abhor alternative or complementary medicine while promulgating orthodox practice. But that position is not an open-minded one". And although well-designed studies and better monitoring of online stores are needed, the editorial went on to say that "western medicine would do well to embrace the herbal pharmacopoieas from countries such as China, with its long history of herbal remedies".
Related Resouces
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