Overuse of Traditional Chinese Medicines May Lead to "Drug-Induced Nephropathy"
Lately, Professor Li Leishi, a renal disease expert at the PLA Nanjing General Hospital’s National Institute of Nephrology, stated that increasing numbers of people suffer from nephritis and acute renal failure due to uncontrolled use of traditional Chinese medicines, urging urgent awareness of the nephrotoxicity of herbal medicines. In recent years, cases of "herbal nephropathy" have been identified in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and other regions, with a rising trend.
Studies show that herbs like Mu Tong, Hou Po, Fen Tuo Yi, and Xi Xin contain aristolochic acid, which causes renal tubule and interstitial damage, loss of brush border cells in proximal tubules, necrosis, resulting in renal glycosuria and low molecular weight proteinuria. Concurrently, distal tubular acidosis and hypotonic urine occur. Clinically, initial presentation includes oliguric acute renal failure, which easily progresses to chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, making treatment extremely difficult and often progressing to end-stage renal failure. It is recommended that clinicians monitor and study the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbs to effectively prevent such toxicity.