Aristolochia

Other Names: Aristoloche, Aristoloche Clématite, Aristoloche de Texas, Aristoloche des Vignes, Aristoloche de Virginie, Aristoloche Vulgaire, Aristolochia auricularia, Aristolochia clematitis, Aristolochia fangchi, Aristolochia heterophylla, Aristolochia kwangsiensis, Aristolochia manshuriensis, Aristolochia moupinensis, Aristolochia reticulata, Aristolochia serpentaria, Aristoloquia, Birthwort, Guang Fang Ji, Long Birthwort, Pelican Flower, Poison de Terre, Pomerasse, Ratelaine, Rateline, Red River Snakeroot, Sangree Root, Sangrel, Sarrasine, Serpentaire, Serpentaire de la Rivière Rouge, Serpentaria, Snakeroot, Snakeweed, Texas Snakeroot, Virginia Serpentary, Virginia Snakeroot.
Aristolochia is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground and the root are used to make medicine.

Special Precautions of Aristolochia

• Aristolochia is UNSAFE. It contains aristolochic acid, which is toxic to the kidneys and causes cancer. Use of aristolochia can cause kidney damage leading to the need for kidney dialysis and kidney transplant. It also greatly increases the risk of bladder cancer and other urinary tract cancers.
• Health authorities around the world have taken action to protect the public against aristolochia and aristolochic acid. Aristolochia is banned in Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Belgium, and Japan. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seizes any product that it believes might contain aristolochic acid. The FDA will not release the product until its maker proves the product does not contain aristolochic acid. Health Canada, the Canadian health authority, removed five aristolochia-containing Chinese herbal medicine products from sale. The products include Touku Natural Herbal Rheumatic Pills, two brands of Tri-Snakegall & Fritillary Powder, Tracheitis Pills, and Gastropathy Capsules.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Aristolochia is UNSAFE for anyone to use, including pregnant and breast-feeding women. Aristolochia contains aristolochic acid, which is toxic to the kidneys and causes cancer. Don’t use it.
• Kidney disease: Aristolochia might bring on early kidney failure in people with kidney disease.
• Guang Fang Ji preparations can contain toxic amounts of aristolochic acid when Aristolchia fanghi is substituted for Stephania tetrandra. Ingestion can lead to renal failure and even death; Aristolochia is used in TCM only with great caution. In May, 2000, the FDA began detaining any plants or medicines suspected of containing aristolochic acid, unless laboratory testing indicated they were negative for aristolochic acid. (Only tests which use a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry [LC/MS/MS] method with a precision better than 0.5 parts per million (PPM) are acceptable.) he traditional route of ingestion of guang fang ji is via water decoction. Since aristolochic acid has low water solubility, water decoction is believed to be a much safer route than taking guang fang ji as an uncooked powder.
• Guang Fang Ji preparations can contain toxic amounts of aristolochic acid when Aristolchia fanghi is substituted for Stephania tetrandra. Ingestion can lead to renal failure and even death; Aristolochia is used in TCM only with great caution. In May, 2000, the FDA began detaining any plants or medicines suspected of containing aristolochic acid, unless laboratory testing indicated they were negative for aristolochic acid. (Only tests which use a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry [LC/MS/MS] method with a precision better than 0.5 parts per million (PPM) are acceptable.)The traditional route of ingestion of guang fang ji is via water decoction. Since aristolochic acid has low water solubility, water decoction is believed to be a much safer route than taking guang fang ji as an uncooked powder.

Benefits and uses of Aristolochia are

Despite serious safety concerns, aristolochia is used to prevent seizures, increase sexual desire, boost the immune system, and start menstruation. It is also used to treat snakebite, intestinal pain, gallbladder pain, arthritis, gout, achy joints (rheumatism), eczema, weight loss, and wounds.