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Cardiotoxicity from 'safe' herbomineral formulations.
Shridhar Dwivedi1, Amitesh Aggarwal, Vishal Sharma
1Department of Medicine/Preventive Cardiology, University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi and GTB Hospital, Delhi, India 110095.
Tropical Doctor
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Unsupervised use of herbomineral preparations can lead to severe cardiac issues, including arrhythmias and heart blocks. Three out of twelve patients died, highlighting the risks of these remedies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Herbomineral preparations are widely used for common ailments.
- Certain herbs like Aconitum ferox and Thevetia peruviana are known cardiotoxic agents.
- Combinations of herbs with heavy metals (lead, copper, mercury) increase toxicity.
Observation:
- Twelve patients presented with discomfort, dizziness, and chest pain after ingesting herbal remedies.
- All patients developed ventricular arrhythmias, including ventricular ectopics, tachycardia, and AV blocks.
- Immediate discontinuation of the herbal preparation was necessary for all patients.
Findings:
- Ingestion of toxic herbomineral preparations caused significant cardiac arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities.
- Three patients experienced fatal outcomes due to the adverse effects of the remedies.
- The unsupervised use of these preparations poses a serious health risk.
Implications:
- There is an urgent need for pharmacognostic identification and toxicological studies of herbal remedies.
- Standardization, uniform nomenclature, and authenticity testing are crucial before therapeutic use.
- Patients' belief in the inherent safety of herbal remedies can lead to dangerous unsupervised usage.
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