Chinese herbal medicine

[Lani]

Just because it is herbal, that doesn't mean it is safe. I am posting this to remind everyone that not only doesn't the FDA regulate supplements, there is no body that does. Not only don't they check that they really contain what they say they do and that it is active (not expired or even harmful once its shelf-life is too old) but they do not require them to list every ingredient. I noted parabens in liquid vitamins sold at a health food store. How many other of them have parabens and don't list them.

Parabens are estrogenic-like substances present in almost all skin creams, suntan lotions, etc. They are used as preservatives in those items. What they are doing in liquid vitamins, I haven't a clue.

Buyer beware!

Here is the article:


Chinese Herbal Medicine Linked to Bladder Cancer, Nephropathy



NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 20 - Use of the herb Longdan Xierganwan appears to have played a role in the development of bladder cancer and nephropathy in a 30-year-old Chinese man, according to a brief case report appearing in the July 22nd issue of The Lancet.

In July 2003, the man presented to the outpatient nephrology department of the Whittington Hospital in London after referral from his family physician for macroscopic hematuria. He reported no other symptoms and had no family history of kidney disease.

Further questioning revealed that the patient had been taking Longdan Xierganwan for at least 5 years to "enhance" his liver, lead author Dr. Chris Laing and colleagues report. The patient's vital signs were stable and nothing abnormal was noted on physical examination.

The man returned a few days later with a large fragment of tissue that he reported passing in his urine. Testing of this specimen revealed the presence of transitional cell cancer cells. Urgent cystoscopy confirmed the presence of a bladder cancer, which was resected. In addition, the patient received intravesical chemotherapy.

Although the patient stopped using Longdan Xierganwan, which, at the time, contained aristolochic acid, a chemical linked to nephropathy and bladder cancer, he developed recurrent tumors. These recurrences have been treated with cystoscopic resection; the patient has declined cystectomy.

In April 2004, the patient underwent renal biopsy and was found to have interstitial fibrosis consistent with Chinese herbal nephropathy. Since then, he has progressed to end-stage renal failure and is now preparing for dialysis.

As alluded to, Longdan Xierganwan no longer contains aristolochic acid. China Tong Ren Tang, the manufacturer of the product, changed the formula in 2002 after the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the nephrotoxic effects. "Recently, more than 100 Chinese renal patients initiated a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer -- the first such consumer action China has seen."

"This case emphasizes the importance of an adequate environmental and dietary history in uronephrological disease and highlights the dangers of unregulated herbal therapy," the authors conclude.

Lancet 2006;368:338.