Using herbal medicine without permission: Dangerous, we know and keep saying!

Intensive Care Unit 1 - Anti-Poison, Provincial General Hospital has received many cases of poisoning due to the use of herbal medicine.

Death from drinking decoction of leaves and roots

In early 2025, hearing that Lang Chanh district had a traditional medicine man who could prescribe medicine to treat bone and joint diseases, high blood pressure, and even cancer, a group of 9 people from Quang Vinh ward (Sam Son city) went to see a doctor and get medicine. Ms. Chu Thi Minh was the oldest in the group (70 years old), with many underlying diseases. When she returned home, she cooked medicine to drink according to the traditional medicine man's instructions, hoping that "the doctor and medicine would work together". However, only about 2 hours later, she showed signs of cyanosis, difficulty breathing, and then died.

In response to the above incident, the authorities seized all the drugs that Ms. Minh had taken to conduct the necessary tests and conduct an autopsy according to the investigation process. At the same time, local officials also notified those who accompanied her to medical facilities to check for the risk of poisoning. Upon receiving the news, the patients who had taken the herbal medicine proactively went to the Central Hospital 71 and the Provincial General Hospital for examination. One of them was Mr. Tran Van Sinh, 52 years old, admitted to the Provincial General Hospital in a state of dizziness, severe vomiting, epigastric pain, and respiratory failure. Upon receiving the patient, the doctors placed an endotracheal tube and actively ventilated him. After a day, the patient showed positive changes and the endotracheal tube was removed.

Previously, Mr. Sinh was diagnosed with lung cancer by a doctor at Thanh Hoa Oncology Hospital and was required to be hospitalized for treatment. However, because he heard from a fellow villager that herbal medicine for cancer treatment would have good progress, he tried his luck. Mr. Sinh said: “The medicine I bought consists of leaves and roots, and the herbalist told me to drink it instead of water every day. After about 4 hours of drinking it, I started to have stomachache, nausea, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing.”

Having suffered from bone and joint pain for a long time, Ms. Le Thi Tien, 49 years old, refused to go to the hospital for examination and treatment because she was shy. But she was willing to follow the group to Lang Chanh district to meet a herbalist to prescribe herbal medicine. She bought 1 million VND including 4-5 types of leaves and roots to boil and drink. After drinking the cup of medicine for a few hours, she felt tired, dizzy... From the information that Ms. Minh had died, Ms. Tien immediately went to the Provincial General Hospital for examination. Here, she was diagnosed with secondary poisoning so she had to be treated and stay in the hospital for observation.

Among them, Mr. Tran Van Thang (28 years old) is very healthy. He said he took herbal medicine to cool down. Because he is young and has good resistance, his symptoms of drug poisoning are not clear but he still has to stay in the hospital for 2 days for monitoring. This is a mass herbal medicine poisoning case that caused a stir, occurring at the end of February 2025.

The disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

According to Master, Doctor, Do Khanh Toan, Department of Intensive Care 1 - Anti-poison, Provincial General Hospital, recently the hospital has received many cases similar to the above cases. Some people are afraid of surgery, some people listen to the advice of those around them, and some people follow spiritual schools and do not use medicine... In Mr. Sinh's case, his body was already weak because of cancer. Taking herbal medicine of unknown origin and ingredients, when he was hospitalized, his condition worsened, forcing him to breathe oxygen, with a high risk of liver and kidney failure. Many patients have had to undergo dialysis or kidney dialysis due to complications.

Intensive Care Unit 1 - Anti-Poison, Provincial General Hospital has received many cases of poisoning due to the use of herbal medicine.

In fact, many traditional and folk remedies have good effects on patients, have been researched, evaluated, recognized by experts and state management agencies and are allowed to circulate on the market. However, each medicinal plant has different medicinal properties and toxicity. Meanwhile, traditional medicine is difficult to control the dosage because the unit of measurement is usually a medicinal dose, including many different medicinal herbs. Incorrect drug combination can reduce treatment effectiveness or increase side effects and toxicity.

Sharing this opinion, physician Hoang Van Hung, Chairman of the Thanh Hoa City Oriental Medicine Association, shared: "Unlike oriental medicines that are processed to eliminate toxicity and limit side effects before being combined, most traditional medicines are made by people who go to the forest to collect trees and leaves, bring them back, chop them up, and dry them without removing toxins, sap... and are used according to word of mouth and unverified folk experience."

To avoid “losing money and getting sick”, people should not bet their health and life on floating remedies and baseless rumors. When sick, people should go to the hospital for examination and treatment in a timely, scientific and in-depth manner. If patients want to use methods other than Western medicine, they can go to Thanh Hoa Traditional Medicine Hospital or the Provincial Oriental Medicine Association to be examined and prescribed by a traditional medicine specialist, using medicines of clear origin and guaranteed quality.

Article and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tu-y-su-dung-thuoc-nam-nbsp-nguy-hiem-biet-roi-noi-mai-246673.htm