Black cohosh and other herbal remedies associated with acute hepatitis

Vitetta, Luis; Thomsen, Michael; Sali, Avni

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05264.x

Topics

To the Editor: We wish to comment on the article by Whiting and colleagues1 on the proposed causal relationship between herbal remedies and severe acute hepatitis.

Correspondence:

1. Whiting PW, Clouston A, Kerlin P. Black cohosh and other herbal remedies associated with acute hepatitis. Med J Aust 2002; 177: 440-443. <eMJA full text>
2. Ernst E, Pittler MH. Risks associated with herbal medicinal products. Wien Med Wochenschr 2002; 152: 183-189.
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4. Corrigan D. Adverse reports — some first principles. Eur PhytoJournal 2001; 1. Available at: http://www.escop.com/epj2pdfs/corrigan.pdf (accessed Mar 2003)
5. Nortier JL, Martinez MC, Schmeiser HH, et al. Urothelial carcinoma associated with the use of a Chinese herb (Aristolochia fangchi). N Engl J Med 2000; 342: 1686-1692.
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8. Lieberman S. A review of the effectiveness of Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh) for the symptoms of menopause. J Womens Health 1998; 7: 525-529.

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