From today's Electronic Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000154642417163&rtmo=gZjkgSfu&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/99/7/29/wherb29.html

Chinese herb banned in kidney scare, By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

A POTENT Chinese herb was banned in Britain yesterday after two people who had used it by mistake developed kidney failure.

One woman is understood to be on a dialysis machine. The herb is Aristolochia and the emergency ban ordered by the Committee on Safety of Medicines forbids its supply and use as an unlicensed medicinal product alone or in combination with other ingredients.

The two patients took a herbal remedy called Mu Tong, a name use to describe several plants including Stephania and Aristolochia. It is used to treat eczema, urinary problems, swelling and rheumatic conditions.

The ban will be reviewed in October by which time sampling of Chinese remedies will have been undertaken to see if there is any Aristolochia present.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 29, 1999