Chinese medicine nearly killed me

 

I Thought These Herbal Tablets Would Be Natural Way to Stop My Hair Loss. Instead I Nearly Died

A LIVERPOOL woman told today how Chinese medicine almost killed her. Mother-of-three Jeanette Tarbuck, 38, from Mossley Hill, spent 10 days in hospital with serious liver damage after taking a Chinese herbal remedy for hair loss.

Experts believe Mrs Tarbuck suffered an extreme reaction to the over-the counter Shou Wu Wan tablets, bought from a Chinese herbalist in Liverpool.

Today doctors at the Royal Liverpool hospital revealed they treated around six cases connected to herbal remedies every year, and warned people to seek medical advice before taking such treatments.

But the Chinese shop manager who sold the tablets insisted they were completely safe.

Mrs Tarbuck, married to contracts manager David, 38, and mother of Ashleigh,14, Thomas, 10, and Daisy, two, bought the Shou Wu Wan tablets from the Dr & Herbs Chinese herbalist store in Liverpool's St John's market.

She turned to a herbalist when her hair began thinning after the birth of her third child.

The main ingredient of the tablets, polygonum multiflorum, is said to tone the liver and kidneys and nourish blood and is commonly offered as an alternative remedy to treat hair loss.

Mrs Tarbuck, a customer service advisor for the Alliance and Leicester, said: 'I thought they would be a natural way to stop the hair loss. Instead I nearly died.

'Six weeks after I began taking them twice a day, I started feeling very unwell and got easily tired. My family didn't know what was wrong with me. Then my skin turned yellow. It was terrifying.'

She went to her GP after she became too ill to go to work.

'As the weeks went on, I felt weaker and weaker. When I went to the doctor, I had to have all sorts of tests but they couldn't find anything wrong.

'But when I went back for the results towards the end of January, I was so ill they admitted me to hospital.'

After a week of tests at the the Royal Liverpool hospital, doctors confirmed it was likely Mrs Tarbuck had a reaction to the herbal tablets.

She said: 'There was nothing they could do. They tested the tablets and said they had most probably caused the liver damage. After that, I had to wait until my liver cleaned itself.

'After 10 days in hospital, I came Hair Loss but still couldn't do much.

I couldn't even look after my baby daughter.

'I have been going to the hospital every two weeks so they can keep an eye on my liver. I'm still not completely better, but I am getting there. I hope to go back to work next month. But the whole experience has been a nightmare.

'You hear so much about herbal medicine these days that you think it is safe, but you really do not know what can happen. People should be warned. I will never touch them again.'

The manager of Dr & Herbs, Gou Yiping, who imports the tablets from suppliers in China, said she had never had any complaints about Shou Wu Wan.

'We have been using this for more than 1,000 years and it is completely safe. There is no medical proof it causes liver damage and in our shop we have never had anyone come back to us over it' Shou Wu Wan is nothing more than a vegetable that has been shown to help prevent hair loss. It is 100% natural.

'We don't need to warn people about using it because there is no danger.'

But Liverpool health officials today urged people to be cautious with natural remedies A Royal Hospital spokesman said: 'We have half a dozen cases of reactions to herbal remedies and off-the shelf drugs each year. This includes Chinese herbal remedies.

'It highlights the need for people to get medical advice before they buy anything off the shelves and take it. Our doctors are urging people to do that' These remedies are not regulated. A number of people could have a reaction to them. They need to be aware of what could happen.'

The Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory agency today called for statutory control of Chinese herbal medicine to make sure all the ingredients used have been tested.

The agency, which holds a database containing reports of suspected adverse drug reactions, has received several reports of problems, including liver trouble, associated with the hair loss remedy It is now calling for greater control of such remedies.

A spokeswoman said: 'We need to ensure these remedies are safe. To do this we are calling for regulation to control exactly what goes into them.

'We want people to be able to read the contents of the remedy in English and know what dose they should be taking.

'The idea is to make sure the products going into herbal medicine are produced in the correct way with the right amount and that they are recognised by an official body. At the moment there is no regulation

Sold by Chinese herbalists nationwide

SHOU Wu Wan, which contains polygonum multiflorum, is commonly used as a natural remedy for hair loss.

It is sold by Chinese herbalists nationwide and is advertised widely on the internet.

Herbalists say the orally-taken tablets tone the liver and kidney, and nourish the blood.

They are also used t o darken hair, restore natural hair colour and improve energy levels.

The Association of Chinese Medicine UK is a voluntary society which issues a code of practice t o more than 600 members.

Dr Huijun She, spokesman for the association, said: 'It is unusual for this herb t o produce any side effects. It is commonly used for hairloss and to help hair nutrition.

'There is no association t o investigate complaints such as this. We would not have the power to investigate the make up of the products but we would look at any infringement of our code of practice. Our members are trained professionals but there is no obligation on any practitioner to join an organisation like ours