heavy metal contamination of chinese soil

[Guest guest]

" While I also decry the spoiling of the environment by concrete,

pollution, etc., plant species are constantly changing, emerging and

disappearing. "

 

I agree. Never ceasing change is one of the fundamental ideas at the

heart of Chinese medicine.

 

Bob

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann,

 

I recently read a post about High Falls Gardens, and was quite fascinated by

efforts of US farmers to grow " Chinese " herbs on this continent. I am curious

about how they expect to prevent these species from spreading. So many seeds

(and spores) are spread either by wind, birds, or insects which carry them off

for their own purposes. Weather factors such as rain and floods also contribute

to seed scatter, as do some plants, which have pods that burst, to spew their

seeds far and wide. Others spread via underground root systems, corms or

tubers. Some require fertilization to spread and others don't. It is in the

best interests of plants to be able to spread, to prevent overcrowding and to

ensure the survival of their species, and they have many clever means of

ensuring this. Efforts to cultivate non-native species need to consider this

fascinating aspect of plant survivability - simultaneously taking advantage of

it, in order to have a crop, while also trying to control it and

prevent these plants from spreading beyond the designated confines of one's

farm. This latter task can be truly daunting.

 

I currently live in the high desert of Arizona, where invasive species truly

are a problem, choking out endemic species. For that reason, if I am to do any

seed planting, it will be of native species. I didn't always draw such a hard

line on this. In fact, when I was an environmental science student, I did

actually have my own garden full of English and southwest US medicinal herb

species - right in the southern New Jersey pine barrens! They did thrive there

- with lots of water and soil cultivation - and I wonder now how they may have

spread in the years since I left that place. Truly, I love growing plants, and

it was this childhood and teen hobby that lured me to study Chinese herbal

medicine. It was only late into my studies that I also became passionate about

acupuncture too. Now my own journey is leading me to question globalization vs.

localization of all things - including the question (which reminds me of

macrobiotics) of whether locally grown and native herbal

medicines are best suited for individuals who live in that region. Though I

have no data to bear this out as of yet, my thinking is leading me in this

direction. Perhaps this is just the effect of living in a rural area, where

products grown in distant lands seem more difficult to obtain than they did when

I lived in the city. Perhaps not. If I find information that backs up my

hunch, I will share it with the good folks on this list.

 

 

snakeoil.works wrote:

Andrea and all,

 

I was as surprised as any to find that several U.S. farmers are growing Chinese

herbs, and OM practitioners are buying them. So I was anxious to see and touch

the process, even though, as a city dweller, I have not much land for " growing

my own " , as we used to say. High Falls Gardens is a leader in this area and,

working with other growers in the Medicinal Herb Consortium, they've put a lot

of thought into issues such as medicinal equivalency, invasiveness, methods of

cultivation. I , along with 5 others, was an intern at the HFG farm this year,

and helped to plant and harvest Zhi Mu, Gan Cao, Yi Mu Cao, Jie Geng, Gou Qi Zi

and others. You can read about it at:

http://nofany.org/projects/medicinalherbsfallupdate.pdf

 

And even though we all read more than we have eyeball juice for, it is still

quite possible not to be aware of the nature and extent of these efforts already

being made. That's why I enter this post, even though I may have already

before. If you have ever gardened yourself, you might want to activate that

Johnny Appleseed fantasy and get a few seeds in. Jean Giblette, Joe Hollis or

Robert Newman would, being country folk, be quite willing to give simple

straightforward advice on how to start your batch. If you're still at the

fantasy level, why don't you drive your hybrid down to the nearest video

store(unless, of course, you live in a city, in which case you can just walk;-)

and rent the animated feature, " The Man Who Planted Trees " . That is really

guaranteed to get your eyeball juices up.

 

all best,

Ann

 

 

I agree that is it wise to explore use of native plants that are related to

Asian medicinals for similarities and cross-usage. There are indeed potent

plants everywhere that have been used for healing purposes by indigenous peoples

around the globe. However, I don't think my case is overstated. Habitat

destruction takes many forms: overcrowding and encroachment by human development

is one form; invasive plant species is another, though its effects usually take

longer to become noticeable.

 

 

<zrosenbe wrote:

I think it may be wise to consider that many so-called " Chinese

herbs " have similar species or 'family members' growing here in the

Americas, and have at least similar properties. Over time, perhaps,

we can use these as medicines. The medicines I pick in the wild have

obvious potency, and it would be a shame not to begin to use and

understand them. I remember picking peppermint from a mountain

stream in Taos last summer, and the students couldn't believe the

potency of the mint, spreading through the body.

 

I also think that humanity is part of nature, and that the

spreading of species around the world is not always a bad thing.

There are always tradeoffs and choices to be made in such things as

environmental management. We are the stewards of the planet, but

that doesn't mean that we shouldn't grow herbs from China locally. I

think perhaps you overstate the risks.

 

On Nov 29, 2005, at 8:08 AM, wrote:

 

> Hey folks,

>

> There's a serious concern that's being overlooked in the

> conversation about growng Chinese herbs in the North American

> continent; they're not native to here. While that may not be a

> problem in terms of actually growing the plants, it can become a

> huge problem in the future, should these plants " naturalize " and

> become invasive species. As invasive species claim space (invade)

> ecosystems currently occupied by native species, these natives get

> crowded out, become endangered, and risk extinction. Every

> ecosystem in the U.S. has problems with invasive species and

> endangered native species. Many of our ancestors from Europe and

> even China brought their favorite flowers, trees and food crops

> with them as seeds; some airborne seeds stowed away on ships and

> still others got mixed in bags of grain seed, to make their way

> here and spread where they found hospitable conditions.

>

> My first degree is in Environmental Science and Land Use

> Planning. My interest in that discipline was, and still is,

> regional protection of wildlands for all native species of

> wildlife. As large tracts of unspoiled wilderness become

> increasingly rare, the problem of invasive species becomes all the

> more serious; the smaller size of tracts of wilderness make them

> all the more prone to complete infiltration by non-native species,

> at the cost of decimation of local endemic species. A secondary

> level of this problem is that eradication of native species reduces

> their availability as a food source for the animals which depend

> upon them. All life forms are interdependent. We cannot

> exterminate one and expect there will not be a ripple effect up the

> food chain; in all likelihood, animals dependent on these food

> sources will either die out or attempt to relocate outside of their

> native region (migrate), often into abutting areas which are

> populated with people who do not tolerate

> their presence, regard them as pests, and seek to eradicate them.

>

> I agree that heavy metals contamination of herbs is also a

> serious problem which demands our careful consideration. However,

> we need to take care also to consider what problems we may be

> creating in the future, by looking for quick and " inexpensive "

> solutions in the present. The cost may indeed be greater than we

> can imagine.

>

> Please accept my humble apologies if this is too off-topic. It

> seem integral to the discussion, in my mind.

>

>

> Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine

> 753 N. Main Street, Suite C-1

> Cottonwood, AZ 86326

> (928) 274-1373

>

> mdavid wrote:

> I was wondering when this topic would come up. It has gotten

> increasingly more

> difficult for me to prescribe chinese herbs over the years due to

> this very

> reason. It did not help to have spent a year in China, to have seen

> the chinese

> carrying large buckets of human waste to their fields, to fertilize

> the crops,

> that would end up in homes, restaurants, etc.

> I too have thought that growing similar species here in Canada/Us

> must be one

> of the alternatives.

> For those who have enough space to grow something, perhaps we could

> start a

> large " Share Crop Exchange " . Each person could focus on the in's

> and out's of

> cultivating and harvesting their particular chosen herb. The

> hardest of course

> would be the roots, but as we know several of the chinese herbs are

> common

> perenial shrubs, flowers, weeds, shells...and would be much easier

> to grow.

> Steven Foster would be a great source of information. The title of

> his book

> escapes me right now.

> Anyone have any interest in this concept?

>

> best regards,

> Marjorie

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> I wa

> Quoting <:

>

>>

>> http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(3tyqaj45ve0jav235nz0dy45)/app/

>> home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent & backto=issue,8,19;journal,

>> 29,53;linkingpublicationresults,1:107843,1

>>

>>

>> something the TCM community has long turned a blind eye to is the

>> heavy metal contamination of chinese soil. While at least one herb

>> importer tests about 50 herbs for a few heavy metals, these tests are

>> mainly focused on cultivated plants and those most commonly used.

>> However the vast majority of plants are not tested and evidence

>> suggests they are highly contaminated. In fact, one proposed

>> solution to the soil contamination is to grow certain plants that are

>> know to have high uptake rates of heavy metals. China's

>> industrialization has increased dramatically in the past decade.

>> They burn many times more coal than they used to and cars have

>> largely replaced bicycles as the main form of transportation on most

>> city streets. When many of us got into this field, even though we

>> all knew China was a very polluted country, the problem has grown

>> exponentially. With all due respect to the few herbs on the AMerican

>> market that are actually tested, we must realize that such herbs are

>> not being tested by independent outsiders, but rather by the very

>> vested interests who sell those herbs. Many of you would not trust

>> such a regulatory scheme if it involved your local water or soil, yet

>> have no trouble dispensing huge amounts of herbs to their patients

>> for profit. This is just one more reason, people should be very

>> concerned about any longterm use of chinese herbs. In addition,

>> issues of species decimation is now also becoming a reality,

>> especially in the aftermath of SARS and the foremath of Avian flu.

>> Things have changed and those changes will only accelerate and worsen

>> as China moves hellbent down its capitalist growth path. Ethical

>> herbalists and those concerned solely about toxicity issues now must

>> seriously consider these problems. It is quite a dilemma as the only

>> alternative is to grow the herbs organically somewhere else. In the

>> US, this would make the cost to your patients prohibitive, so the

>> only option is to find some as yet uncontaminated third world

>> farming country with cheap labor and set up chinese herb farms.

>> Unfortunately many chinese herbs are wildcrafted and we don't even

>> know how to cultivate them. I never thought I would write these

>> words, but I think the only viable solution is to begin a concerted

>> effort to replace the use of chinese herbs with substitute species

>> from this country and other parts of the planet. , your

>> day may be here!

>>

>> here is the link to the complete google search I did. this search

>> was of scholarly journals, not scandalmongering websites, BTW

>>

>>

>>

>> Web/Online Coordinator

>> Adult Degree and Graduate Programs

>> Prescott College

>> http://www.prescott.edu

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

, " Eric Brand " wrote:

 

> I have visited the KP factory in Taiwan (KPC distribution in the US),

> and they had a very high-tech lab and I recall them discussing

> screening for heavy metals. From every batch, I'm not sure, but the

> Chinese producers of quality granules are well-aware of the risks of

> heavy metals. Have granule products on the market been found to

> contain significant heavy metals?

>

Eric,

 

as far as I know, KP does not test every, if any batch for heavy

metals. China does have some regulation, but we all know that

regulations in China can be bent with the necessary guanxi.

Like I said, on several, but not that many occasions Sinecura has had

to refuse and destroy complete batches of herbs (granules). What

Kaiser does with the rest of a batch that they may have in stock in

Taiwan, nobody knows.

There is a short overview of the production process at www.sinecura.be.

 

Tom.

[Guest guest]

" as far as I know, KP does not test every, if any batch for heavy

metals. "

 

Blue Poppy Herbs tersts every batch at a U.S. FDA-approved lab.

 

Bob

[Guest guest]

As a distributor of KPC, I know that the KP factory does test for heavy

metals with each batch of single herbs and formulas. Heavy metal limits in

the USA are more stringent than in Europe due to California's Prop 65. (Lead

is .5ppm in USA vs 5 ppm in Europe). Sinecura does retest for heavy metals,

AA, etc in Europe.

 

Bill Egloff

Crane Herb Company

Crane Herb Pharmacy

 

 

 

 

On 12/2/05 5:09 AM, " Tom Verhaeghe " <tom.verhaeghe wrote:

 

> , " Eric Brand " wrote:

>

>> I have visited the KP factory in Taiwan (KPC distribution in the US),

>> and they had a very high-tech lab and I recall them discussing

>> screening for heavy metals. From every batch, I'm not sure, but the

>> Chinese producers of quality granules are well-aware of the risks of

>> heavy metals. Have granule products on the market been found to

>> contain significant heavy metals?

>>

> Eric,

>

> as far as I know, KP does not test every, if any batch for heavy

> metals. China does have some regulation, but we all know that

> regulations in China can be bent with the necessary guanxi.

> Like I said, on several, but not that many occasions Sinecura has had

> to refuse and destroy complete batches of herbs (granules). What

> Kaiser does with the rest of a batch that they may have in stock in

> Taiwan, nobody knows.

> There is a short overview of the production process at www.sinecura.be.

>

> Tom.

Chinese Herbal Medicine offers various professional services, including board

> approved continuing education classes, an annual conference and a free

> discussion forum in Chinese Herbal Medicine.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Andrea,

As a long term personal practitioner of macrobiotics who still

practices a broad macrobiotic diet, but questions some of its basic

principles, I've examined a lot of the same issues. Especially so in

the years I lived in New Mexico and Colorado, practicing natural

agriculture, herb wildcrafting and the like.

While I still consider myself an environmentalist, I think we

need to look at a broader perspective here when talking about herbal

medicine and native medicinals. The ideal of using just local

medicines is just that, an ideal. The relationship of native

Americans with the land is of another era that is already past and

transformed. The landscape and the very plants in that landscape

have already changed radically. The earth evolves and changes,

civilizations rise and fall, and we have to work with the situation

literally beneath our feet.

I am reminded of the saber-toothed tiger, which historically has

gone extinct and reappeared nine times according to one source! With

or without humanity, plant and animal life is constantly evolving,

changing, moving, living and dying.

Chinese medicine has never relied solely on local medicinals.

For millenia, the Chinese have imported medicines from the middle

east, Tibet, India, and eventually the Americas. So the historical

precedent in China is clearly not to solely rely on native

medicinals. No region is so complete that it cannot benefit from

medicines in other regions of the world. While I also question the

extremes of globalization, I think that the answer is not an either-

or situation.

 

 

On Dec 1, 2005, at 10:34 PM, wrote:

 

> I currently live in the high desert of Arizona, where invasive

> species truly are a problem, choking out endemic species. For that

> reason, if I am to do any seed planting, it will be of native

> species. I didn't always draw such a hard line on this. In fact,

> when I was an environmental science student, I did actually have my

> own garden full of English and southwest US medicinal herb species

> - right in the southern New Jersey pine barrens! They did thrive

> there - with lots of water and soil cultivation - and I wonder now

> how they may have spread in the years since I left that place.

> Truly, I love growing plants, and it was this childhood and teen

> hobby that lured me to study Chinese herbal medicine. It was only

> late into my studies that I also became passionate about

> acupuncture too. Now my own journey is leading me to question

> globalization vs. localization of all things - including the

> question (which reminds me of macrobiotics) of whether locally

> grown and native herbal

> medicines are best suited for individuals who live in that

> region. Though I have no data to bear this out as of yet, my

> thinking is leading me in this direction. Perhaps this is just the

> effect of living in a rural area, where products grown in distant

> lands seem more difficult to obtain than they did when I lived in

> the city. Perhaps not. If I find information that backs up my

> hunch, I will share it with the good folks on this list.