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. 2013 May 14;9:639–658. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S43419

Table 2.

Herbal medicinal products: contaminants and adverse effects93–101

Contaminants Adverse effects

  • Dust

  • Pollens

  • Insects

  • Rodents

  • Parasites

  • Microbes

  • Fungi

  • Mould

  • Toxins

  • Pesticides

  • Mercury

  • Cadmium

  • Chromium

  • Lead

  • Arsenic and

  • Prescription drugs

  • Agranulocytosis

  • Meningitis

  • Multiorgan failure

  • Perinatal stroke

  • Arsenic

  • Lead or mercury poisoning

  • Malignancies or carcinomas

  • Hepatic encephalopathy

  • Hepatorenal syndrome

  • Nephrotoxicity

  • Rhabdomyolysis

  • Metabolic acidosis

  • Renal or liver failure

  • Cerebral edema

  • Coma

  • Intracerebral hemorrhage

  • Death

Note: *These contaminants were found mostly in herbal products originating in People’s Republic of China, India, and the US.