Chinese herbal medicines and renal failure

• Aristolchia species are used in Chinese herbal medicines
  
  
• Aristochia species contain aristolchic acids which are genotoxic carcinogens and associated with development of interstitial nephropathy
  
  
• in 1993 in Belgium, over 70 cases of renal failure were reported when Aristolchia was substituted for Stephania in a herbal slimming medicine (1)
  
  
• in the UK an emergency ban on the supply and sale of medicinal products containing Aristolchia came into force on 28/7/99 following a Committee on the Safety of Medicines review. This included 2 cases of end-stage renal failure in patients using Chinese herbal medicines (containing Aristolchia) in a Chinese medicine for the treatment of eczema (1)

Reference:

• Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance (1999), 25, 18.