What are the adverse reactions of traditional Chinese medicine related to?

Why can our country gain a foothold in the world? Because our country is one of the four ancient civilizations, our country has a profound cultural heritage. In our country, the greatest contribution to medicine is traditional Chinese medicine, which is warm in nature and can bring patients back to life. However, all medicines are toxic, so what are the side effects of traditional Chinese medicine? Let’s learn together today.

9 major factors of adverse reactions to traditional Chinese medicine Most drugs have certain biases, which the ancients also called "toxicity", and traditional Chinese medicine can "remedy the bias and remedy the disadvantages" to achieve the purpose of treating diseases. As Zhang Jingyue said: "Medicine is used to cure diseases, and its ability is due to its toxicity. The so-called poison is a medicine with biased smell. The normal smell is grains and foods, which are used to nourish the body's positive energy. The biased smell is medicine and bait, which are used to remove the body's evil energy. The reason for this is that the disease of a person is caused by the imbalance of yin and yang." As long as the clinical diagnosis is accurate and the medication is appropriate, adverse reactions rarely occur. However, for some drugs that do contain toxic ingredients, doctors of all generations have, through long-term and unremitting exploration and practice, and through different processing, preparation, and combination, not only have they improved the effectiveness of drugs in treating diseases, but they have also eliminated or reduced the toxicity of certain drugs to a large extent, reduced side effects, and basically ensured the safety of clinical drug use. However, due to environmental changes, the emergence of new dosage forms, and human factors, there are more and more adverse reactions to traditional Chinese medicine in today's clinical use. In addition to drugs known to contain toxic ingredients, even very common drugs such as ginseng, salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax notoginseng, and Chuanxiong have frequent reports of adverse reactions. A closer look reveals that adverse reactions to Chinese medicine are related to the following factors:

1. Drug toxicity effects: Some Chinese medicines contain toxic ingredients, such as aconite and kusnezoffii. If they are not processed properly, used improperly or used in excess of dosage, they will cause adverse reactions such as aconitine poisoning, including burning sensation in the mouth, salivation, nausea and vomiting, numbness of the limbs, dizziness, difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, and heart rhythm disorders. If Pinellia ternata is not prepared according to the correct method and is used raw, it can cause numbness, swelling and pain in the tongue, throat, and oral cavity, salivation, difficulty opening the mouth, etc. In severe cases, it can cause suffocation. For example, arsenic in realgar and mercury in cinnabar are factors that cause adverse reactions. In addition, strong Chinese medicines are more likely to cause adverse reactions, such as rhubarb, musk, euphorbia, and pokeweed. The recipe of Liushen Pills contains bezoar, toad venom, borneol, musk, realgar powder, etc., which can clear away heat, detoxify, reduce swelling and relieve pain. Due to the strong medicinal properties (and toad venom and realgar contain toxic ingredients), there are many reports of adverse reactions, such as drug rash, acute pharyngitis, threatened abortion, drug-induced hepatitis, arrhythmia, heart damage, allergic purpura, and even toxic shock.

Although traditional Chinese medicine is passed down from our ancestors through 5,000 years of cultural heritage, it does not mean that it has no shortcomings at all. When we use traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases, we still have to pay attention to whether the Chinese medicine you take is suitable for your physical constitution. If it is not suitable, side effects may easily occur, which may take your life instead of curing your disease. Regardless, medications should be used with caution.