Relying on traditional Chinese medicines could put you at risk of deadly liver cancer, new research suggests.
Singaporean scientists have uncovered evidence of a clear link between one herbal remedy and the deadly strain of cancer.
They warned the danger stems from toxic chemicals called aristolochic acids (AA), derived from the woody vines of Aristolochia plants.
In regions that heavily rely on the plants as medicines, experts discovered up to 78 per cent of liver tumours ‘were likely due to contact with the chemicals’.
It backs up a host of research in recent decades that has shown AA to be harmful to humans, causing it to be banned in both the UK and US.
Singaporean scientists have uncovered evidence of a clear link between one herbal remedy, called aristolochic acids, and the deadly strain of cancer
The acids can be found in some traditional Chinese medicines that are given during childbirth, to prevent parasites, promote healing and treat insomnia.
The report, published in Science Translational Medicine, looked at samples of liver cancer in Taiwan, China, Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia.
A ‘well-defined mutational signature’ was found in patients who succumbed to the complications of consuming the plant.
Some 78 per cent of the 98 samples studied in Taiwan contained mutation patterns that indicated the cancers were likely due to contact with the chemicals.
The Chinese branch of the trial showed 47 per cent of 89 liver cancer cases studied showed a link to this traditional medicine component.
In Vietnam, five out of 26 tumors studied were a match (19 per cent), along with five out of nine from other countries in Southeast Asia (56 per cent).
Banned across the world
The link was nowhere near as significant in both North America or Europe, where the dangerous substance is illegal to possess.
The Government banned the import, sale or supply of aristolochia in the UK in 2001 amid mounting concerns over the plant’s safety.
In the 1990s, a group of 100 Belgian women reported sudden late stage kidney failure after taking a weight loss drug that contained AA.
The ingredient has also been banned in the US for the same amount of time, however it is difficult to control as it is available via the internet.
What about in Taiwan and China?
Taiwan followed suit two years later and banned some herbal preparations using the plants.
However, there is no outright ban in China or Taiwan, and ‘only specific plants, rather than any plant and product containing AA or its derivatives, are regulated’.
Researchers found that the prevalence of AA-associated mutations in liver cancers in Taiwan did not drop after the ban was implemented.
This could be because it would take more time for a drop in cancers to be noticeable in the data, they said.
Aristolochia: The facts
Links between the consumption of aristolochia, also known as birthwort, and other forms of cancer have been noted in recent years.
It is estimated that millions of people across the world use Chinese herbs, which are often frowned upon by the medical community who believe the best form of care is drugs and conventional treatment.
The Chinese have used herbs for treating diseases for thousands of years, and its popularity has spread to other regions of Asia.
The alternative practice has become increasingly popular in Europe and North America, mainly as complement to Western medicine.