Substance in Traditional Chinese Medicine – can cause cardiac arrhythmia






Traditional Chinese medicine is a style of medicine that built on a foundation of more than 2,500 years of Chinese medical practice. It includes various forms of natural and herbal medicine, but recently it was influenced by modern Western medicine. TCM is widely used in China and is becoming increasingly popular and recognized worldwide. A medicinal plant which is frequently used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is -- Evodia rutaecarpa – that contains substances can cause cardiac arrhythmia. It was found by the researchers from Universities of Basel, Vienna.

The plant Extracts from Evodia rutaecarpa that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a variety of symptoms, such as headaches and vomiting sensation as well as menstrual complaints and ulcers. The Professor Matthias Hamburger from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Basel who discovered the effect of Evodia plant extracts with the help of pharmacologists and toxicologists from the University of Vienna.

The natural substances from the plant dehydroevodiamine (DHE) and hortiamine can be isolated in Basel proved to be very effective inhibitors of potassium channels in the heart muscle area. If these channels are get blocked, the excitation processes in the heart muscle may change, which can trigger severe heart rhythm disturbances -- so-called Torsade de pointes (TdP) -- and ventricular fibrillation that cause sudden cardiac arrest and may lead to death.



Effect confirmed in animal models

The researchers at the University of Utrecht were found the severe Torsade de pointes arrhythmias following the administration of dehydroevodiamine DHE was confirmed in ECG studies on dogs, a model that is also used to test drug safety in the industry. Further investigations showed that the two natural substances cause oscillations in the heart muscle cells even in very low concentrations, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia. For instance, these substances can get into a tea made from Evodia fruits.

This study, therefore, call for increased vigilance regarding possible toxic effects of Evodia formulation preparations. "The popularization of medicinal plants from other cultures entails risks. These plants can contain highly active substances with side effects, as in the case of Evodia. A closer examination of such risks is therefore indispensable to protect the population," says Hamburger.

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