Medicine is a very interesting subject that many people are interesting. While most people tend to rely on the opinion of their doctor or even just the basic truths of rational science, there is a growing section of society that are underwhelmed or unhappy with what they hear and prefer to make up their own minds on what medicines work and the best way for them to feel better. On a basic level this seems to be a fine, as long as people aren’t endangering themselves by taking harmful substances. That’s why so many people have now been moving onto herbal medicines.
Indeed, recently there has been a strong uptake in herbal medicines. This is likely down to people want to believe in the cures and treatments that a number of herbal medicines claim to make. While this is a highly controversial subject, as doctors and experts often assert that herbal medicines can do nothing to help your if you have an illness, more and more people still seem to be taking up these medicines as they feel desperate for relief from their conditions or hope to find a cure for whatever disease that they might have.
Herbal medicines and other natural remedies are especially popular in India, and this is a part of the world that is highly interested in the concept of alternative treatments. But now it seems that these therapies that are so popular now might actually be causing more harm than good. This is a very worrying development and could mean some troubling times for anyone who uses herbal therapies. So what exactly is the problem?
Well it seems that there may be an issue surround a compound called aristolochic acid which is found in a number of common herbal medicines. It appears that it can lead to a condition known as aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) which is a form of kidney failure that occurs when the body takes in too much of the aristolochic acid. It has also been linked to other kidney based problems such as kidney diseases and urothelial cancer. Given that these are obviously extremely serious conditions it can be no surprise that many people are now claiming that aristolochic acid should be avoided at all costs by anyone who wants to use alternative therapies that make use of herbal medicines.
The substance has now been officially banned from a number of national agencies that oversee the regulation of compounds such as aristolochic acid. In fact the FDA went as far as to say that any herbal medicine bottle contains the ingredients such as ‘Aristolochia,’ ‘Bragantia’ or ‘Asarum’ listed as ingredients on the label needs to be discontinued immediately and that if you have any of these medicines that you should dispose of them as soon as possible.
If you’re worried about the possibility of having them, this acid is commonly found in many Chinese medicines as a way to combat diarrhoea, coughing and joint pain, and also as an aid to weight loss, to improve the immune system and to relieve the pain of childbirth. If you have bought any Chinese medicines for these conditions it could be well worth looking at the labels to check if they use this acid as one of the ingredients. If so you should stop using this and talk to your doctor about potentially having kidney problems. It’s also a great idea to speak to your doctor generally if you’re thinking about unusual non-standard medicines as many can have other hazards for your health that you may not even know about.
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