Starting from June 1 this year, the importation and sale of Chinese herbs and related products containing Aristolochic acid will be prohibited.

Announcing the prohibition, the Department of Health said a recent survey on the side effects related to herbs containing this acid revealed some people are using them inappropriately.

Some practitioners erroneously substituted the herb Aristolochia mollissima Hance for Herba Solani Lyrati and Radix Aristolochiae Fangchi for Radix Stephanilae Tetrandrae.

According to medical documents, prolonged and excessive use of herbs containing Aristolochic Acid is associated with kidney failure and cancer of the urinary tract.

Even though many herbs contain the acid, the numbers of herbs that are commonly used for medical purposes are limited.

Aristolochic acid herbs difficult to identify

The Chinese Medicines Board introduced the control measure in view of the fact that there is no effective mechanism to examine and identify the Aristolochic acid-containing herbs in the local market to safeguard public health.

Starting from June 1, the importation and sale of some herbs will be prohibited and others will be suspended for further examination.

For details, please visit the Chinese Medicine Council website.

Proprietary medicines with acid also prohibited

The Board has also decided to prohibit the sale of proprietary Chinese medicines containing Aristolochic acid. Application for registration of this kind of products will not be approved.

The relevant measure will also be part of the licensing conditions when Chinese herbs retailers and wholesalers apply for a license from the Chinese Medicines Board.

The department will closely monitor local and overseas clinical research on Chinese medicines containing Aristolochic acid. It will also work with local universities.

Reassessment of the current control measures on the acid will be made once an effective mechanism to ensure the proper use of Chinese medicines is in place in the Chinese medicine sector.

The Chinese Medicine Council will consider allowing registered Chinese medicine practitioners to use some of the herbs containing Aristolochic acid, but with medical value.

Notify Health Department if there are poisonings

The department called on Chinese medicine practitioners not to prescribe medicines with the acid to their patients.

The department should be notified of any suspected Chinese medicine poisoning cases as quickly as possible to facilitate follow-up investigations.

Members of the public should consult their Chinese medicine practitioners and follow their advice before taking Chinese medicine.

For more information on the control of herbs with Aristolochic acid, call 2961 8968 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.