Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasure if used correctly, but it will accelerate kidney damage if used incorrectly!

For a long time, people have believed that Chinese medicine focuses on conditioning and has no adverse reactions, so many people take Chinese medicine to treat diseases. But this is not the case. Chinese medicine is not omnipotent and can also cause kidney damage. The most typical example is acute renal failure caused by Akebia.

Causes of kidney disease caused by traditional Chinese medicine

1The botanical species of Chinese medicine is the basic factor causing kidney damage, which determines whether a certain Chinese medicine has the potential to cause kidney damage.

2 Chinese medicine must be processed before use. Blindly using Chinese medicine that already exists in nature will increase the risk of medication. For example, Aconitum kusnezoffii, Aconite, Pinellia ternata, Arisaema consanguineum, etc. must be processed before use.

3. The use of medicines did not follow the principles of "differentiation and treatment" and "stop taking when the disease is cured", resulting in hasty actions.

4 Randomly changing the route of medication, irrational combination of Chinese and Western medicine, taking medicine without medical advice and overdose are all major factors leading to kidney damage.

5. The compatibility of Chinese medicine, decoction methods, administration methods and individual differences can all affect the efficacy of Chinese medicine, and improper use may cause kidney damage.

6 Misuse of certain Chinese medicines due to improper naming can also increase the incidence of kidney damage.
Acute kidney injury: Taking too much nephrotoxic Chinese medicine, such as Aristolochia guanylinum, can lead to necrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells, with clinical manifestations such as decreased urine volume and rapid deterioration of renal function. Nearly 1/3 of kidney damage caused by Chinese medicine manifests as acute renal failure.

Mild cases of chronic renal damage lead to degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells, with clinical manifestations of hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, renal glycosuria, aminoaciduria, etc.; severe cases may cause renal interstitial fibrosis, clinically presenting as chronic renal failure, and anemia may occur in the early stages of renal failure.

Chinese medicine that can cause kidney damage

Traditional Chinese medicine has complex ingredients, and various ingredients interact and restrict each other. Currently, the following drugs can cause kidney damage.

(1) Medicinal materials that contain or are suspected of containing aristolochic acid, such as Aristolochia, Aristolochia strychnifolia, Aristolochia longituba, Aristolochia dasyphylla, Aristolochia dasyphylla, Aristolochia hanzhongensis, Asarum, Aristolochia zhuifeng, Aristolochia fengfeng, Aristolochia huaiteng, Aristolochia cinnabarinum, Aristolochia triloba, Aristolochia dasyphylla ...

(2) Medicinal materials that may be mixed with the above-mentioned medicinal materials and thus be adulterated with aristolochic acid, such as Akebia, Akebia trifoliata, Akebia thunbergii ...

Patients should be careful and cautious when taking these medicines. Even if they are taking Chinese medicine, they need to go to a regular and qualified Chinese medicine hospital for treatment.

Methods to reduce kidney damage caused by traditional Chinese medicine

1. Focus on prevention. Pay attention to syndrome differentiation and treatment, and adjust the dosage appropriately according to individual, climatic and regional environmental factors.

2 When seeking medical treatment, you should choose a regular hospital and a qualified doctor, and do not trust secret recipes or folk remedies.

3. Ensure that the varieties of Chinese medicine are correct and the preparation is in accordance with the standards.

4. Strictly control the drug dosage and course of treatment. Drugs that may accumulate should be taken in small amounts and intermittently to reduce the possibility of accumulation poisoning. 5. If Chinese medicine with strong nephrotoxicity is used, the patient's renal function should be understood and monitored.

6. Once Chinese medicine-induced kidney damage occurs, it should be discontinued immediately and treated as acute renal failure.

7. Kidney disease patients should be careful and cautious when taking Chinese medicine, and consult a doctor before taking it. In short, Chinese medicine can both "cure" diseases and "cause" diseases, so it is necessary to master the right degree of use to achieve better therapeutic effects on diseases.