Doctors Warn Of Dangers Of Some Chinese Herbal Potions

Physicians in Australia who saved the life of a woman who nearly died after ingesting a Chinese herbal preparation prescribed for back pain have issued a warning about nontraditional medications. A Chinese herbal medicine practitioner told the woman to boil a mixture of wolfsbane, and other plant and animal material containing aconite, prior to ingestion.  She was admitted to the emergency room after experiencing facial tingling and numbness, followed by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and eventually severe cardiovascular toxicity. Both patients and physicians need to be aware of the potential dangers lurking in Chinese herbal preparations, the doctors stressed.