RE: Herbal contaminants

[Guest guest]

Hi Gabriele,

 

The concerns you raise below are very important in our field and for the

development of Chinese medicine in the West. The contamination of herbs is

another tool for those people to stop our profession from developing in the

West. It seems that our future is tied with the economic and standard of

living developments in China. Even though their rapidly moving ahead, they

were coming from a long way behind and there's still some way to go to

catch-up with Western standards.

 

How can be guarantee a good supply of Chinese herbs when even the fruit and

veg in China is laid with heavy amounts of pesticides to the point that you

are advised to wash them all in washing liquid! The lack of wildlife seems

to support the heavy use of pesticides in China. If this is the case with

the standard fruit and veg sold here, what is happening to the Chinese

herbs? The contaminants just with pesticides along is frightening. What

safeguards are in use that controls and supports the quality of Chinese

herbs exported to the West?

 

Although I don't agree with the use of powders and tablets, as you say,

they're not as good as a decoction, it does go some-way for the HPLC to

answer the concerns of quality Chinese herbs being exported from China. I'll

hopefully be visiting a herbal preparation factory in Beijing soon and we'll

see what's going on. What does our resident importer Emmanuel have to say on

this issue?

 

Kind regards

 

Attilio

 

<traditional_Chinese_medicine>

traditional_Chinese_medicine

 

 

[gabrielesaudelli]

14 May 2004 10:08

Chinese Medicine

R: Kew Gardens

 

 

But there is no control about their content in metals, pesticides,

radioactivity, mycotoxins and so on. In

Europe there's only one pharmaceutical pharm who imports, controls (outside

laboratories) HPLC, the so called " fingerprint " , and look for these

contaminants. Then they sells single herbs (no animal or mineral drug) or

dried extracts from decoction, made as usually. So they have some formulas

(the most important basic formulas) as dried extract or tablets. Tablets are

not so good as powder in dried extract. Then the patient can buy with a

normal prescription in a Pharmacy, add hot, bolied water and obtain the same

as decoction; in my opinion it is not the same, because usual decoction is

just a bit more powerful than dried extract, but it works and herbs are

almost standardized. Patent medicines as pills are only dried drugs mixed

together, not boiled together, and the herbal amount is much rather below

the normal prescription.

 

Best wishes, Gabriele