Untested natural medicines are big threats to health in China and Africa

Abstract

In mainland China and Africa, when natural medicines apply for licenses, they do not need to pass the same rigorous toxicity and efficacy tests as those of synthetic medicines. The lack of regulation of untested natural medicines by drug administration departments is a big threat to global health. Studies have shown natural medicines severely threaten the health of human beings although they seem harmless. Over 100 million of the Chinese are suffering from diseases caused by natural medicines. These medicines include aristolochic acid (AA)-containing plants (a worldwide problem) and natural medicine injections (only in mainland China). Clear evidence shows the widespread toxicity of AA-containing plants and natural medicine rejections while not a single rigorous test suggests the efficacy of them. One recent example is that plant soups were widely used to treat patients in mainland China during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. An ingredient of these plant soups is Xixin, which contains AA.