From a reader's letter: Be cautious when using plant leaves for medicinal purposes.

SGGP 09/09/2023 10:54

Despite health authorities advising that the use of roots, tubers, and leaves for medicinal purposes requires specific guidance, many people still follow word-of-mouth advice and hastily seek out herbal remedies. In reality, the widespread use of these remedies poses numerous health risks. Readers of the Saigon GGP newspaper have voiced their concerns about this issue.

A case of poisoning from traditional medicine is currently receiving intensive treatment at the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital.

Dangerous complications

The National Dermatology Hospital recently admitted an 8-month-old child with severe atopic dermatitis and scalp inflammation caused by peeling skin on the head and face after the family bathed the child in herbal water. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Linh, Deputy Head of the Department of Dermatology for Women and Children at the National Dermatology Hospital, stated that atopic dermatitis is usually detected in children from around 3 months of age onwards.

Although not life-threatening, if not treated and cared for properly, it can lead to complications such as skin infections, viral infections, ulcers, rashes, etc., affecting the patient's quality of life.

Many people with atopic dermatitis or other skin conditions have resorted to self-medicating with folk remedies or followed word-of-mouth advice, using cooling leaves for bathing or applying to the affected area in the hope of relieving itching, rashes, and pimples, but in reality, the results are not as expected.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thuy Linh, 70-80% of patients seeking treatment for skin diseases have previously used some type of leaves for poultices or baths. Some patients have used them for extended periods even without improvement. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Linh warns that many types of leaves contain pesticide residues, dust, and bacteria that can worsen skin lesions, leading to secondary infections, even blood infections, and posing a life-threatening risk.

Doctors at the National Children's Hospital frequently treat many children with chickenpox whose families have bought traditional herbal remedies to boil and bathe them with, causing the rashes to blister, ooze fluid, and lead to skin infections, resulting in a "double illness" situation.

Dr. Do Thien Hai, Deputy Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases at the National Children's Hospital, said that chickenpox is a viral infection that causes moderate skin lesions, but due to improper handling by the family, boiling plant leaves to bathe the child made the skin lesions more severe.

Complex treatment

Not only young children but also many adults suffer harmful health reactions when self-medicating with herbal remedies. The Gastroenterology Department of Bai Chay Hospital, Quang Ninh, recently admitted and treated patient VTC (60 years old, from Dam Ha district, Quang Ninh) who developed acute hepatitis after using herbal medicine to treat gastritis.

After using herbal medicine of unknown origin for about a month, the patient developed symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain in the right lower rib area, loss of appetite, and progressively worsening jaundice. Upon hospitalization, doctors examined and tested the patient, revealing that her liver enzyme levels were dozens of times higher than normal.

According to some medical experts, using herbal medicines to treat diseases is often more complex than using Western medicine, because these plants contain not only the main medicinal substances but also many other substances, even impurities that are difficult to detect. Therefore, when users experience adverse reactions or poisoning, treatment becomes very difficult because it is hard to pinpoint the exact substance causing the reaction.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital, stated that, in principle, all medicines, whether Western or traditional, can have undesirable side effects, and can even cause poisoning with serious consequences. Therefore, people need to be extremely cautious about advertisements, offers, or word-of-mouth recommendations about the healing or preventative effects of medicines and herbs of unknown origin.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hoang Khanh Toan, former Head of the Traditional Medicine Department at Military Central Hospital 108, said that allergic reactions or poisoning from traditional medicine usually occur late, after a few weeks of use, and this condition is often more severe than the consequences of using other types of medicine because it can also cause internal organ damage.

To prevent dangerous reactions from using traditional medicine, patients need to strictly follow the doctor's instructions, not use it arbitrarily without a prescription, and not increase the dosage or extend the duration of use on their own.

Some simple folk remedies and prescriptions can be used without medical supervision, but it is best to seek full advice from a specialist doctor.

If you experience any unusual symptoms while using this medication, stop taking it immediately and inform your doctor so that appropriate action can be taken.

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