1. Some traditional Chinese medicines are poisonous.
(1) Traditional Chinese medicine is poisonous, so you can't eat it indiscriminately! Traditional Chinese medicine also has side effects, but the prescription prescribed by the doctor is compound, which avoids the side effects to some extent, but it is not without it.
(2) Not all Chinese medicines are non-toxic. For example, Radix Aconiti Lateralis, Radix Aconiti Lateralis has a good warming effect on stomach cold, but once the dosage is too large, symptoms of poisoning will appear, and toxins will accumulate when taking Radix Aconiti Lateralis frequently. If it reaches a certain amount, it will be poisoned, even if it is not rescued in time, it will even die. But doctors are very cautious when using these drugs, so don't worry too much. If there is numbness in the mouth and tongue after taking it, it is recommended not to continue taking it and consult a doctor.
(3) For example, rhubarb is eaten by people with normal diarrhea, but people with diarrhea can't eat it, but some people with constipation eat it just right! Someone told you that Chinese medicine has no side effects. Eat rhubarb for constipation! There will be two situations: first, it is very effective, but it will be ineffective after a long time; First, it didn't work at first! Isn't rhubarb for constipation? Rhubarb is used to treat heat constipation. Long-term consumption will reduce physical function and cause constipation. Rhubarb is ineffective for constipation with low body function from the beginning!
2. The meaning of toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine.
According to "Huai Nan Zi Xiu Wu Xun", "Shennong tastes a hundred herbs, and the water springs are bitter, and seventy poisons are encountered in one day." This shows that our ancestors realized that many Chinese medicines were poisonous in ancient times. Generally speaking, the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine can be divided into narrow sense and broad sense. The so-called narrow sense of toxicity refers to the direct harm of drugs to human body. Most toxic traditional Chinese medicines are fierce in nature and function, which is easy to poison the human body. Its commonly used therapeutic dose is small or extremely small, and its safety is low. Such as: arsenolite, spurge, croton, aconite, nux vomica, etc. If it is used improperly or exceeds the therapeutic dose, it will cause harm to human body. The light one hurts the body, and the heavy one dies. As the Sui Dynasty's Etiology Volume 26 said: "Anyone who is poisonous can cause trouble, harm people and kill people." The so-called generalized toxicity has two aspects.
(1) refers to the general term for drugs.
The Book of Classics (Volume 12) in the Ming Dynasty said: "Anyone who is poisoned can be called poison as far as drug bait is concerned." "Doctors are in charge of doctors' orders and collect poisons for medical affairs." This is what we often say today.
② refers to drug bias.
The reason why medicine can treat diseases is that it has a certain bias different from other drugs. Every time the doctor takes its bias, it can dispel evil and adjust the function of viscera, thus correcting the rise and fall of yin and yang. Adjust the disorder of qi and blood, and finally treat diseases and strengthen the body. Actually. It is difficult to separate these two aspects of drug toxicity. Theoretically, all drugs must be biased, and only when there is bias can they be called drugs. Of course, the drug's partial eclipse will definitely have a double impact on the human body: it can not only eliminate evil and treat diseases, but also cause harm. For example, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Coptis chinensis can dispel cold and stop diarrhea, clear heat and purge fire to treat fever, and also damage yang and stomach, causing endogenous cold pathogen or spleen and stomach damage. Dried ginger, cinnamon and aconite root are pungent in heat, dispelling cold and warming yang, treating yang deficiency and internal cold, and also hurting yang and helping fire, resulting in endogenous fire pathogen or body fluid injury. All these are called poisons or poisons. It includes both the meaning of the poisonous word "kindness" and the meaning of the poisonous word "evil", which has been discussed in detail in many Chinese medicine works.
3. Basic factors of toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine
From the point of view of modern science and technology, the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine is mainly determined by whether it contains toxic components, whether it is toxic as a whole and whether the dosage is appropriate. The nature of the drug itself should be the most important factor. Mainly can be considered from the following aspects.
(1) varieties and parts
Due to historical reasons, the varieties of traditional Chinese medicine are quite confusing, some of them come from many sources, and the composition and content of each variety are very different. For example, Acanthopanax senticosus can be divided into North and South, South Acanthopanax senticosus belongs to Araliaceae, without cardiac glycoside and without toxicity, and North Acanthopanax senticosus (also known as Cortex Acanthopanacis) belongs to Araliaceae, with cardiac glycoside and toxicity. For example, Sophora Tonkinensis is divided into Sophora Tonkinensis and Sophora Tonkinensis. Sophora tonkinensis belongs to Leguminosae, and Sophora tonkinensis belongs to Menispermaceae. The former is more toxic than the latter. The toxicity of different parts of traditional Chinese medicine from the same variety is also very different. For example, scorpion tail is much more toxic than scorpion body. The whole plant of Xanthium sibiricum is poisonous, but the fruit is more poisonous than the whole plant, and the young leaves are more poisonous than the old leaves.
(2) Origin and source
The same Chinese medicine. The composition content and toxicity of different habitats vary greatly. According to the determination, the toxic components of Aconitum produced in southern Sichuan are 3.2 times that of Aconitum produced in Gansu. Some mineral Chinese medicines, such as gypsum and talc, have great differences in composition content. Clinically, it has been reported that people who died after taking 3 1g gypsum were found to be caused by high arsenic content in gypsum.
(3) collection time and storage conditions
The roots, leaves, flowers and fruits of plants all grow and mature to a certain extent, such as the bark of Azadirachta indica, which is the most toxic when harvested in spring (azadirachtin content is the highest). Improper collection time of some drugs also affects their toxicity. According to historical records, poisonous honey is mostly produced in July of the lunar calendar. The reason is that at this time, the flowering period of most plants has passed, but toxic plants are competing to bloom. Bees are hungry for food and collect nectar from toxic plants for brewing. In this regard, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the famous doctor Sun Simiao warned the cloud: "You should not eat raw honey in July, and raw honey is very violent. Cholera. " It is easy to understand the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine caused by improper storage methods. Humidity and mildew can be toxic. In addition, some mineral drugs can undergo redox or decomposition chemical reactions when exposed to light, and their toxicity is greatly enhanced.
(4) the influence of processing and processing methods
After processing, a series of complex physical and chemical changes have taken place in various components of Chinese herbal medicines, and the toxicity of many Chinese herbal medicines has been reduced or eliminated through processing. If raw Pinellia ternata is poisonous, it can kill people's throat and lead to aphonia. However, heating at115 ~121℃ or soaking in alum water can eliminate toxicity. Centipede is toxic, but after blanching and drying, almost all toxic proteins are inactivated and the toxicity is greatly reduced. Of course. Some traditional Chinese medicines will also increase toxicity due to improper processing. If realgar is toxic, arsenic will be generated after calcination with fire, which will increase the toxicity sharply, so it is necessary to strictly abide by the processing norms of traditional Chinese medicine. It needs to be clear that some preparations of traditional Chinese medicine have their specific functions and uses, and changing the dosage form or taking method may also increase their toxicity. Therefore, the safe use of traditional Chinese medicine can only be guaranteed by processing methods and respecting the use of prescriptions.
4. Toxicity caused by various factors
The use of traditional Chinese medicine is guided by the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and reasonable compatibility and dialectical medication are the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine. Many doctors have created countless traditional and classic prescriptions and countless secret recipes of rational compatibility of traditional Chinese medicines in thousands of years of clinical practice, which have made immortal contributions to human health. At the same time, predecessors have also summarized many examples of improper compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine and increased toxicity. Such as eighteen opposites and nineteen fears of traditional Chinese medicine. Some non-toxic Chinese medicines are toxic due to compatibility. In addition, the route, frequency, time and area of administration are all related to the toxicity of drugs, which should be paid attention to. Human body and environmental factors also have an important influence on the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine. People with strong physique have strong tolerance to drugs, and people with weak physique are prone to toxic damage when using traditional Chinese medicine. Of course, individual differences also have a great influence. It is reported that eight people in a certain unit were poisoned by eating fairy. The maximum dose of poisoning is 30g, the minimum dose is 15g, and the difference is 1 times. It can be seen that the human body is a complex and ever-changing organism. This ever-changing physiological or pathological environment directly affects the absorption, distribution, transformation and excretion of drugs, and of course affects the size and existence of drug toxicity. In addition, age, gender, race and other factors will affect the use of Chinese medicine. It should also be pointed out that in recent years, with the increasing use of pesticides and the increasing development of industrialization, the pollution of organophosphorus and harmful metals such as lead, chromium and arsenic may lead to the toxicity of originally non-toxic traditional Chinese medicine. Modern scientific tests show that arsenic pollution in traditional Chinese medicine is very prominent at present. If you take contaminated Chinese medicine for a long time, it will inevitably lead to cumulative poisoning and various adverse reactions.
5. Correct and rational use of traditional Chinese medicine
Although Chinese medicine has certain toxicity, if used correctly, it can effectively treat diseases and play a good role in people's prevention and health care. In use, we can grasp the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine from the following aspects.
(1) turns toxic into non-toxic.
Fighting poison with poison is a common method in TCM clinic, but dosage is the key to the problem. For the use of toxic traditional Chinese medicine, the dosage must be strictly controlled, gradually increased from a small dose, and the drug should be stopped. You can't blindly take it for a long time. However, some traditional Chinese medicines, such as rhubarb, cinnamon and ephedra, are not toxic, but if they are used in large quantities or improperly mixed, they will also cause certain harm to the human body. Therefore, it must be guided by the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine and used reasonably.
(2) strictly control the quality
In order to ensure efficient and safe drug use and minimize the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine to human body, we must start from the source and strictly control the quality of Chinese herbal pieces and finished drugs. Put an end to counterfeit and shoddy drugs entering the market. Even from the cultivation, collection, processing, processing and other aspects of Chinese medicine, we must abide by quality norms and operating standards. All kinds of Chinese patent medicines should be tested in strict accordance with the Pharmacopoeia, and qualified drugs must be used correctly according to the doctor's advice.
(3) medication based on syndrome differentiation
Dialectical and rational drug use is a necessary guarantee to reduce toxicity. The essence of TCM lies in syndrome differentiation and treatment. Whether traditional Chinese medicine is toxic to human body depends on whether it is used reasonably. Every doctor must have an understanding of the sexual efficacy, toxicity or non-toxicity, and the method of medication. At the same time, he must accurately distinguish the physique, age, sex, race, skin, etc. of the users as the basis for medication, so as to effectively reduce or prevent the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine to the human body. If the spleen and stomach are deficient in cold, use bitter cold with caution to prevent injury to the spleen and stomach; People with spleen-heat and stomach-fire should use spicy products with caution to avoid generating heat and helping fire; Those who can't help but slip away because of qi deficiency and feel new evils should not use astringent products alone to avoid staying at home; People with deficiency of both qi and yin should not use pungent and hot products alone or in large quantities to prevent further damage of qi and yin, and so on.
(4) Prevention of allergy
Allergy is also a reaction to the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine. In the traditional concept, there is a wrong tendency that Chinese medicine is safe without allergy, so Chinese medicine allergy is often ignored. What needs to be pointed out here is that allergies to traditional Chinese medicine occur from time to time. If clinical patients have symptoms unrelated to the disease, they should be paid attention to, screened in detail and prevented in time. What needs to be particularly emphasized is that in recent years, allergic reactions to traditional Chinese medicine injections have occurred frequently, resulting in allergic deaths from time to time, which should be highly valued by us.