There has some been some recent issues that have occurred with Chinese Herbal medicine in a study carried out by Curtin University, Murdoch University and the University of Adelaide. We wish to address any concerns you as a client of our practice may have.
In the study 26 Patent (pre packaged) herbal formulas were tested and a staggering 92% of the samples tested returned positive results for contamination and/ or substitution.
50% of these products were not listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and therefore regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Authority. These products are essentially being sold illegally. Registered products must contain an AUSTL or AUSTR reference on the label.
What is sure is, that they were so called pre-packaged products (‘patents’). The composition of the products is derived from classical Chinese herbal formulas, possibly modified with additional herbs and then sold as “Hay fever tablets”, “Clear Cough”, “Menopause fix” or something along those lines. These products are widely available over the counter and do not require a practitioner prescription.
Registered Acupuncturists in Australia are legally allowed to recommend or sell those patent products. Registered Chinese herbalists can also dispense customized herbal formulas to patients. These formulas are made up from single herbs, such as raw herbs (unprepared, twigs, leaves, roots, flowers, barks, etc.) or from prepared single extracts such as granules or liquids. Products derived from single raw herbs must undergo testing with the relevant manufacturers before being extracted.
The tests in an accredited laboratory are:
• Botanical identification (the testing method most appropriate for the product is chosen, but often HPTLC = High performance thin layer chromatography)
• Aflatoxins
• Pesticides: Total BHC’s, Total DDT’s, Quintozene (PCNB)
• Heavy metals: Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Cadmium
• Microbiology: aerobic count, yeast and mold count E. coli, Salmonella, Bile-tolerant gram-negative, Staphylococcus Aureus
Contamination thresholds for herbs are much lower than the ones used in Food Standards in Australia. This is the reason, why we dispense formulas (for patients of our clinic) compounded from single substances that have been certified.
The manufacturers KPC and Conforma of herbs used by our supplier Safflower are serious about the production of their extracts and hence meet the pharmaceutical standard called GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Each single substances is received with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) that outlines each test and that has been conducted and the results achieved, before the product is released for compounding and consumption by adults and children.
We also use paraffin-free cream base from a local GMP manufacturer.
It is unfortunate that the contaminated products were available in Australia and have left the Australian public in mistrust towards Chinese herbal medicine. Without a doubt, the article has sent a powerful message.
Currently the brands of the products analyzed have been kept anonymous which means that the Australian public can’t be warned of the products in question.
We take your safety seriously and as such use a reputable supplier of herbal medicine products. Each and every formula dispensed by Safflower (our herbal supplier) contain single substances in liquid or granulated extracts that have undergone extensive testing and are received with a Certificate of Analysis which means that they are safe for consumption for both adults and children.
When consuming any herbal medicine product take the time to make sure you are getting the best quality and safety standard available. Safflower achieves this and more.