Acute hepatitis induced by a Chinese herbal product Qibao Meiran Wan: a case study

Qibao Meiran Wan is a Chinese herbal product sold as a therapy for tonifying the liver and kidney, dizziness, premature graying of hair, backache, constipation, and night sweats. It is widely available in Chinese pharmacies and drugstores and is sold without prescription. We describe a case of acute liver injury in a 26-year-old Chinese man who developed symptomatic hepatitis 1 month after starting Qibao Meiran Wan. There was no evidence of viral hepatitis, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, autoimmune hepatitis, or Budd-Chiari syndrome. The liver injury slowly resolved over 20 days after discontinuing the herbal product. Herbal toxicity was later confirmed by a liver biopsy. Qibao Meiran Wan contains a mixture of several plants including Polygonum multiflorum, which was previously associated with hepatotoxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of hepatotoxicity by Qibao Meiran Wan. Clinicians treating patients with acute hepatitis of unclear etiology should pay attention to the consumption of Qibao Meiran Wan.