A research study conducted in Taiwan has shown that Chinese herbals sold with aristolochic acid as one of the ingredients has been linked as a cause of cancer in the urinary system.

The Chinese herbal ingredient known as Mu Tong or aristolochic acid is a naturally occurring chemical in some Chinese herbs used to treat diseases like hepatitis, urinary infections, eczema and some female disorders like dysmenorrhea.

That is not the first time that aristolochic acid has been shown to increase the risk of cancer in the urinary system. The recent study done in Taiwan and reported on December 22, 2009, has now shown that even herbal mixtures containing aristolochic acid can positively increase the risk of cancer in the urinary system.

The Taiwan study compared diseases of 4,594 patients who also had urinary cancer with the medical histories of 174, 701 patients who did not have urinary cancer and found that patients who had used Mu Tong or aristolochic acid in herbal supplements had a higher evidence of urinary cancer than those who had not used products with aristolochic acid.

The Taiwanese study was reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and called for a ban on aristolochic acid products.

Study Links Chinese Herbs To Urinary Cancer