Mu Tong

[Guest guest]

Dear Julie,

 

The email you sent to Todd on the eGroups Chinese Herbal Medicine on Tues.

July 25th came to my attention and I wanted to write you and your eGroup to

and address the questions you raised about our herbs.

 

As far as Mu Tong is concerned we are NOT using Aristolochia species /

Guan Mu Tong. Our herbs come to us directly from our own herb processing

facility in China, where we have several staff herbalists who verify

species. Plum Flower brand herbs are sulfur and fumigant free, because of

this they sometimes look a bit different than what is commonly commercially

available. Also, because our facility is in Northern China we have

different cutting styles, which also may make our herbs look different than

what is available from other vendors (Most of the herbs on the market in

the US come via southern China). For these reasons there may have been a

mistake, or confusion in the visual identification of the Mu Tong. Although

I can't be sure why someone came to this conclusion, I can assure you that

it was incorrect.

 

Since the issue of Aristolochia has come to the foreground, we have been

very concerned and taken the matter quite seriously. In addition to

retesting our own products, we have been working closely with the FDA in

California to come up with reasonable solutions to this challenge. At the

same time, in examination of this matter it is important to remember that

in the cases of nephrotoxicity in Belgium and the use of Guang Fang Ji,

the Chinese herbs were administered by medical workers untrained in Chinese

medicine who used these herbs in a completely irresponsible fashion. If

fact, they administered the wrong herbs, at the wrong dosage, for the wrong

reasons. Keeping this in mind, we feel that while we need to take a very

close look at species containing Aristolochic acid, we also need to support

the correct and responsible use of herbs. If we do not, any and all herbs

can be misused in the wrong hands.

 

At this time more information is needed on Aristolochic acid. We need to

know more about its effects at a variety of doses, about testing methods

and about tolerable limits. If we overreact as a community and simply start

" throwing out " herbs without a multifaceted examination of all these issues

we will see more and more restrictions and limitations on our herbal

pharmacopeia.

 

I very much appreciate your time in reading this letter. It is my sincere

wish that our community, both suppliers and practitioners, can come

together to find positive solutions, to protect our art and livelihoods,

and to grow as a profession.

 

Alisa Wrinkle, L.Ac.

Consultant

Mayway Corp.

alisa

[Guest guest]

Dear Alisa,

 

Thank you very much for your clarification and information. I very much

appreciate your setting me straight on my sample of Mu Tong. I apologize if I

posted misleading information that I received from someone with considerably

more experience than I have in herb identification. I wonder if the two

plants (akebia and aristolochia, when used as Mu Tong), are actually so

similar, or not. If you can post pictures on this site, that would be very

helpful.

 

Thank you.

 

Julie Chambers