Are There Dangers Associated With Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Whether or not to take Chinese Herbal medicine is an issue that has been discussed regularly over the years. Now, with more regulation for herbal or natural medicine in Europe, many herbal products will be banned. In addition to this, some worrying research results about the contents of Chinese Herbal Medicine is coming to light.
You will be surprised to find out that some of these products contain ground animal bone, toxic chemicals and other ingredients that may cause allergic reactions. In a recent survey in Australia, where the study tested for specific DNA that showed the detailed contents of some imported Chinese Herbal Remedies, the following potentially dangerous substances were found:
Animal traces – sometimes large amounts of ground domestic cow and goat bone, which could cause diseases like Mad Cow disease, to quote one example. Also, traces derived from protected species of Antelope and Bear were found, which are illegal to hunt and banned from use in herbal remedies.
Toxic Chemicals from plants – in some of the herbal remedies tested, several highly toxic and potentially dangerous components were found. One of these is Ephedra, a compound banned by the US Food and Drug Administration and a highly toxic substance that should only be prescribed by a qualified practitioner in small doses. Asarum, commonly used in weight loss products, is also known to contain many toxic substances that should not be taken.
Allergens – traces of nuts including soybean and cashew were found in the DNA tested samples. These can cause severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, which can be very dangerous if not treated quickly. The problem here is that many people are allergic to nuts and with Chinese Herbal Products you just don’t know what they contain.
This recent research shows the possible dangers of trying Chinese Herbal Medicine in the hope of improving your wellbeing.
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