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progressoid

(49,825 posts)
Sat May 14, 2016, 11:11 PM May 2016

A commonly used herbal remedy can cause kidney disease in up to 10 percent of the population


Reminder: not all herbal supplements are harmless.

A whole lot of people use herbal remedies with the assumption that even if they don't work, they're not really doing any harm. But a new journal article offers a timely reminder that that's not always the case.

In fact, one of the most commonly used herbal remedies, Aristolochia (AKA birthwort or Dutchman's pipe), has been shown to trigger kidney failure and cancer in roughly 5-10 percent of the population, who have a genetic susceptibility to one of its compounds.

Aristolochia is a genus of plant that's been used for more than 2,500 years as a cure-all alternative medicine, treating things as diverse as "snakebite, head wounds, insomnia, constipation, uterine problems, and generalised edema", the new paper notes.

But it's also known to contain the potentially lethal toxin, aristolochic acid, which scientists have established can cause kidney disease.

More: http://www.sciencealert.com/a-commonly-used-herbal-remedy-causes-kidney-cancer-in-up-to-10-percent-of-the-population
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A commonly used herbal remedy can cause kidney disease in up to 10 percent of the population (Original Post) progressoid May 2016 OP
So does ibuprofen... grasswire May 2016 #1
I have a client who had her kidney function tested regularly because of her pain meds. progressoid May 2016 #2

progressoid

(49,825 posts)
2. I have a client who had her kidney function tested regularly because of her pain meds.
Sun May 15, 2016, 12:09 AM
May 2016

She had been on heavy doses of ibuprofen for a neck injury. She's now taking tramadol? I think.

She has to balance on that line between too little meds (with debilitating pain) and too many meds (potential organ damage).

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