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Related Experiment Videos

Risks associated with herbal slimming remedies.

C Corns1, K Metcalfe

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Southend Hospital NHS Trust, Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 0RY, England. cathryn.corns@southend.nhs.uk

The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health
|February 1, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Unsafe herbal products containing banned Western drugs like fenfluramine are a growing risk. Public awareness and regulation of herbalists are needed to prevent harm from adulterated medicines.

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health
  • Traditional Medicine

Background:

  • The global market for natural herbal medicines is expanding.
  • This growth presents opportunities for unethical practitioners to market unsafe products.
  • Concerns exist regarding the adulteration of traditional remedies with Western pharmaceuticals.

Observation:

  • Patients seeking weight loss at a Chinese herbalist were supplied with preparations containing fenfluramine.
  • Fenfluramine was withdrawn in Western countries in 1997 due to severe cardiovascular risks.
  • Deaths have been reported in Asian countries linked to Chinese slimming products containing N-nitroso-fenfluramine.

Findings:

  • Adulteration of Chinese herbal medicines with Western drugs is an escalating issue.

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  • The presence of undeclared pharmaceutical agents in herbal products poses significant health risks.
  • Reported fatalities highlight the dangers of contaminated slimming aids.

    • Implications:

    • There is an urgent need to enhance public awareness regarding the risks of unlicensed medicines.
    • Implementing a registration system for medical herbalists is crucial for public safety.
    • Regulation is necessary to protect consumers and reputable practitioners in the herbal medicine market.