Complementary wellness can sometimes be a misleading term. It sounds so lovely and gentle that you can be forgiven for not realising just how powerfully the medications can impact your wellbeing, and, according to wellness experts, this impact isn’t always positive. A Chinese herbal medicine used to treat the severe headaches has been shown to contain a “potentially toxic” ingredient, and migraine sufferers have been urged not to take it.
The aconite found in Zheng Tian Wan herbal pills comes from a poisonous plant which can be toxic to your heart and your nervous system and can cause death. This is according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), whose spokesman said that aconite, also known as monkshood, is on a UK list of restricted herbal ingredients. A herbal practitioner in the West Midlands supplied the pills to a patient, which is when the sale of them first came to the attention of the MHRA, he said.
Since then, three patients have reported to the agency that they have suffered suspected side effects after taking products that contained the ingredient. The patients all recovered after they stopped taking the product, but before this one of them experienced palpitations, aches and pains and shortness of breath, while another suffered kidney problems and the third was hospitalised after becoming dizzy and suffering from pins and needles.
The spokesman noted, ‘Aconite should not be used in unlicensed products for oral use and Herbal practitioners in the UK should only use aconite in preparations for external use only on unbroken skin. It can be prescribed in oral medicines by a qualified medical doctor under supervision as a prescription-only medicine. The product is an unlicensed herbal medicine which means it has not been assessed for safety and quality by the MHRA.’
Andrea Farmer, herbal policy manager at the MHRA, commented, ‘Herbal medicines can have a very significant effect on the body. In certain circumstances, such as with aconite taken orally, they can be extremely dangerous. Products intended for oral use containing aconite are not permitted in the UK without appropriate authorisation. If you have taken Zheng Tian Wan or any other aconite-containing product, speak to your GP or healthcare professional as soon as possible.’
Comments are closed.