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

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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