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We read with great interest the case report of chronic arsenic poisoning due to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) herb in an issue of CMAJ by Spilchuk et al.[1] The case report is concise and meaningful. However, we wish to put forward some advice on decreasing the possibility of chronic arsenic poisoning of TCM herbs.
In fact, arsenic is not always to be blamed as sometimes it could be used as a therapeutic drug in some serious diseases like cancer, this phenomenon reflects a well known principle of “fighting fire with fire” in the theory of TCM[2]. Thus poisonous drugs can be transformed into effective medicine if the boundary between toxic and non-toxic is crucial has been understood well. Duality is a nature for most of the drugs, TCM herbs are no exception, low dose can generate therapeutic effect, while high dose could result in adverse effects, even toxicity or death. The famous saying of the ancient Greek scholar Paracelsus still makes sense: “The dose makes the poison”[3]. Thus, avoiding high dose of arsenic administration is essential for the prevention of arsenic poisoning.
Long-term administration of medicines containing arsenic might produce a potential health hazard, thus patients on long-term application of arsenic medicines should be instructed to monitor the concentration of arsenic in their body and the functions of vital organs. On account of growing popularity of TCM in the world, millions of people mistakenly believe that T...Competing Interests: None declared.