Letters
Should herbal medicines be licensed?
EDITOR,--The editorial by Dr Peter A G M De Smet highlighted the need for regulation of herbal medicine-like products.1 We are particularly concerned about imported herbal medicines that contain heavy metals; this has been well documented in medicines from the Indian subcontinent.2 We recently investigated the potential hazards of some Chinese patent medicines with high concentrations of mercurial ingredients that are used for the treatment of AIDS.
The labels and instructions were available only in Chinese, making identification of the product and ingredients difficult. The medicines were Angong Niuhuang Wan and Zhusha Aushen Wan pills, both of which are listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China.3 The ingredients were primarily herbal and mineral and included cinnabar and arsenic. On analysis Angong Niuhuang Wan was found to contain 47 mg mercury and Zhusha Aushen 659 mg mercury (in the form of cinnabar). Arsenic and lead were also detected.
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- Should herbal medicine-like products be licensed as medicines
- Peter A G M De Smet
BMJ 1995 310: 1023-1024.[Extract] [Full Text]
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