Clipping Board » Drug Poisoning ─ It is necessary to be aware of the toxic side effects before taking medication.
Reporter: Zhang Beiqi, Taipei Report
When visiting a clinic or the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department of a hospital, doctors prescribe concentrated Chinese herbal medicines. However, legislators independently tested 10 brands of concentrated herbal products and found that 90% exceeded the standard for total bacterial count. Legislators questioned whether the Department of Health’s oversight is too lax—current national standards allow a total bacterial count 10 times higher than the U.S. standard. For the more serious issue of heavy metals, the U.S. limits them to below 20ppm, while Taiwan permits up to 100ppm. Calculated, an adult consuming just one packet of herbal medicine daily could face chronic poisoning. However, manufacturers emphasized that their products are also exported and thus adhere to equally strict standards.
Legislator Chen Ying: "Isn’t this tantamount to murdering Ma’s mother?"
Legislator, isn’t that too alarmist? It turns out that Ma’s mother frequently takes concentrated herbal medicine. Legislators independently tested 10 major brands and found that 9 failed due to total bacterial counts exceeding 10,000 colonies per gram. Is the national standard too lenient?
Compared to the U.S., where the total bacterial count must be below 10,000, Taiwan allows up to 100,000. For heavy metals, the U.S. enforces a limit below 20ppm, while Taiwan permits 100ppm. Since concentrated herbal medicines are widely used in clinics and hospital TCM departments, why are Taiwan’s standards looser than those of the U.S.?
What are the risks of such national standards? Adult dosages typically range from 4 to 6 grams per packet. For example, this packet weighs 4.6 grams. If heavy metals reach 100ppm, that equates to ingesting 460 micrograms. According to WHO guidelines, adults should not exceed 43 micrograms of mercury per day—10 times the limit. For lead, the standard is 214 micrograms, double the limit. From a toxicology perspective, this means chronic poisoning on a daily basis.
Citizen: "They should pay attention to this issue. So many people are consuming these medicines—oversight should definitely be stricter."
TCM physician Chen Wangquan: "We must demand no bacterial contamination, no pesticide residues, and no heavy metal content."
The Department of Health emphasized that stricter standards will be established by the end of June. Until then, manufacturers clarified that their herbal medicines are also exported and thus subject to equally stringent foreign regulations.
Source: http:/ / www. tvbs. com. tw/ news/ ……. asp? no=yehmin20090611183218
Loose TCM Standards: One Pack A Day Risks Chronic Poisoning
When visiting a clinic or the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department of a hospital, doctors prescribe concentrated Chinese herbal medicines. However, legislators independently tested 10 brands of concentrated herbal products and found that 90% exceeded the standard for total bacterial count. Legislators questioned whether the Department of Health’s oversight is too lax—current national standards allow a total bacterial count 10 times higher than the U.S. standard. For the more serious issue of heavy metals, the U.S. limits them to below 20ppm, while Taiwan permits up to 100ppm. Calculated, an adult consuming just one packet of herbal medicine daily could face chronic poisoning. However, manufacturers emphasized that their products are also exported and thus adhere to equally strict standards.
Legislator Chen Ying: "Isn’t this tantamount to murdering Ma’s mother?"
Legislator, isn’t that too alarmist? It turns out that Ma’s mother frequently takes concentrated herbal medicine. Legislators independently tested 10 major brands and found that 9 failed due to total bacterial counts exceeding 10,000 colonies per gram. Is the national standard too lenient?
Compared to the U.S., where the total bacterial count must be below 10,000, Taiwan allows up to 100,000. For heavy metals, the U.S. enforces a limit below 20ppm, while Taiwan permits 100ppm. Since concentrated herbal medicines are widely used in clinics and hospital TCM departments, why are Taiwan’s standards looser than those of the U.S.?
What are the risks of such national standards? Adult dosages typically range from 4 to 6 grams per packet. For example, this packet weighs 4.6 grams. If heavy metals reach 100ppm, that equates to ingesting 460 micrograms. According to WHO guidelines, adults should not exceed 43 micrograms of mercury per day—10 times the limit. For lead, the standard is 214 micrograms, double the limit. From a toxicology perspective, this means chronic poisoning on a daily basis.
Citizen: "They should pay attention to this issue. So many people are consuming these medicines—oversight should definitely be stricter."
TCM physician Chen Wangquan: "We must demand no bacterial contamination, no pesticide residues, and no heavy metal content."
The Department of Health emphasized that stricter standards will be established by the end of June. Until then, manufacturers clarified that their herbal medicines are also exported and thus subject to equally stringent foreign regulations.
Source: http:/ / www. tvbs. com. tw/ news/ ……. asp? no=yehmin20090611183218