How herbal medicines might hurt you

Herbal medicine has been around for centuries, and even with modern medical advancements and synthetic pharmaceuticals, the herbal medicine market is going strong. While there are some definite benefits to taking herbs, researchers point out there is one reason you should be wary of the natural products you buy?mold.

A new study published in the journal Fungal Biology took a look at some of the herbal medicines on the market and the amount of contamination these products have from toxic mold. Because herbal medicines are derived from plants, they are subject to the same decomposition process as are all organic materials. Any moisture in herbal medicines can make them subject to mold growth, a natural part of the breakdown chain of events.

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Mold produces mycotoxins, compounds known to cause adverse affects in humans and other animals. The European Food Safety Authority indicates: “Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by different types of fungus, belonging mainly to the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera. Under favourable environmental conditions, when temperature and moisture are conducive, these fungi proliferate and may produce mycotoxins. They commonly enter the food chain through contaminated food and feed crops, mainly cereals.”

The new research suggests, however, that herbal medicine may now be another area where people need to worry about mold contamination. According to the study, 90 percent of herbal medicines sampled registered some level of mold growth. Seventy percent of the samples had mold growth considered above acceptable levels. Though not all mold poses a danger to humans, 31 percent of the molds identified in the study produced harmful mycotoxins; 19 percent of which produced aflatoxins (linked to liver cancer) and 12 percent of which produced ochratoxin A (harmful to the liver and kidneys).

“There is a real public health concern due to the lack of effective surveillance of the quality, safety and efficacy of these medicinal plants. It’s time for regulators to step in and set limits to protect people who want to use herbal medicines like these,” stated study author Samina Ashiq to MNT. “By setting limits to fungal contamination of these plants, Pakistan and other countries ( where the majority of people use herbal medications) would be better able to export to places that do have controls in place. Hygienic processing and sale of medicinal plants is essential to protect people, and also if the economy is to benefit from the booming herbal medicine industry.”

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The danger is not necessarily from the creation of the medicine itself; mold can be present in herbs when they are harvested. Improper drying and storage then exacerbates the mold growth, even if no mold is visible.

“Fungi can cause adverse human health effects to many organ systems,” states a study archived in the National Library of Public Health. “In addition to infection and allergy, fungi can produce mycotoxins and organic chemicals that are responsible for various toxicologic effects. Scientific literature revealed a linkage between ingesting mycotoxin contaminated food and illness, especially hepatic, gastrointestinal, and carcinogenic diseases.”

While commercially-produced herbal medicines are less likely to contain molds, until there is a standard and regulatory process for these medicines, there will a risk for deangerous mold exposure.