Acute hepatitis after ingestion of herbs

Herbal preparations are marketed as natural and safe alternatives to conventional medicines for the prevention and treatment of a variety of ailments. However, consumers may not be fully aware of their potential side effects. We report two cases of acute hepatitis after the ingestion of herbal preparations. One of the mixtures included chaparral and bee pollen; the other was pure bee pollen. Chaparral has been reported to have similar effects in other patients, but we found no reports of acute hepatitis from bee pollen. We discuss chaparral and several other hepatotoxic herbs and review the literature. Our case reports remind primary care physicians to ask their patients about herbal use and discuss their potential toxicities.