Herbal Creams May Lead toAdverse Events

EXETER, England--In the November British Journal ofDermatology (143, 5:923-9, 2000), it was found that certain herbaltreatments may cause adverse dermatological events. In a review of scientificliterature, E. Ernst from the University of Exeter found that some Chineseherbal creams have been repeatedly shown to be adulterated with corticosteroids,while particular Ayurvedic remedies can contain arsenic or mercury, both ofwhich can lead to skin lesions. Ernst concluded that the adverse effects ofherbal medicines are an important yet neglected subject in dermatology, andfurther investigation is needed. For more information, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govand conduct a keyword search using PubMed.