Adverse effects from traditional Chinese medicine

Investigation of the “dose–time–response” relationships of rhubarb on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats

“…HMPs have got more attention in recent years for its complementary therapeutic effects to western medicines, but the adverse effect or toxicity of them should not be ignored (Tai et al, 1993;Jordan et al, 2010), which may result from inherent toxicity, contamination with toxic materials, improper administration, high-dose or long-term use, etc. There has been increased discussion on the safety assessment of HMPs (Jordan et al, 2010).…”

Evaluation of the liver protection and toxicity of Da-Huang-Zhe-Chong pill in rats

“…Although TCDs have been attracting more attention in recent years because of its complementary therapeutic effects to western medicines, and its capability to deal with many essential problems that have not yet been solved by conventional medicinal practices, their adverse effects or toxicity of them should not be ignored (Tai et al, 1993;De Smet, 2004;Jordan et al, 2010). These adverse effects or toxicities may result from many factors including inherent toxicity, contamination with toxic materials, improper administration and large-dose or longtime use, etc.…”

The quest for modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine

“…In the Lancet , for example, a number of aspects of TCM, such as acupuncture [34-36], TCM diagnostic methods [2,37], herb-drug and herb-immunoassay interactions [38,39], as well as therapeutic and sometimes severe adverse effects of TCM drugs and adulterants [40-44] were reported. In recognition of the political, historic and cultural impacts on the development of TCM [4,5,45,46], the Lancet highlighted the development of TCM in different countries and regions, characterised by global perspectives [2,37,42,47-49].…”

“…Since the mid-2000s, China has accelerated its steps in joining the international community of evidence-based medicine and clinical trials conducted in China have begun to be published in leading clinical journals [49,64,65]. Nevertheless, many challenges remain [43]. Some challenges are specific to TCM including the practice of personalised medicine and the difficulties in designing quality controls for TCM practices and drugs, about which international collaborations such as GP-TCM have led to the development of practical guidelines [66,67].…”

“…In 1995, the Victorian Department of Human Services and the Health Departments of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia commenced a review in order to assess the risks and benefits associated with the practice of TCM [71]. These studies, together with some other reports, such as those on herb-drug interactions [38], aconite poisoning [44] and the hepato- and genotoxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids [72], gave an impetus to research the adverse effects of herbal medicines. Given the number of herbal products on the market and relatively low budgets available for research so far, safety assessment has been carried out on relatively few herbs according to modern guidelines [68].…”