Humble opinion of the pharmacovigilance of Traditional Chinese Medicine

2^nd International Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine

August 25-26, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing, China

Baihui Dong, Bing Zhang and Zhijian-Lin

Posters: Altern Integ Med

Abstract :

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been playing an important role in health protection and disease control for thousands of years in China. Using either as raw materials for decoction, as prepared herbal medicines or as formulated traditional medicines, TCM is still widely accepted by Chinese people, especially for chronic disease treatment. Although relying on natural products, mainly of herbal origin, safer than synthetic drugs, TCM is not safe absolutely. There are many adverse TCM drug reactions all over the word for recent decades, such as Aristolochic acid nephropathy (AA nephropathy), which has been observed in patients taking Mu Tong and Fangchi (traditional Chinese formulae that have been adulterated by aristolochic acid). So TCM need the pharmacovigilance to insure its rational and safe use. The pharmacovigilance of TCM is the combination of western pharmacovigilance idea and Traditional Chinese Medicine theory. There are many records about the rational use of TCM in ancient medical classics. Its a tremendous asset for us left by our predecessors. For instance, classifying the TCM by its toxicity, Reducing the toxicity by processing, Incompatibility of TCM, Contraindications in using TCM in the period of Pregnancy, Taboo food and drink when taking TCM, etc. They have grown out of the accumulated knowledge and experience of hundreds of thousands of TCM doctors. These can serve as the pharmacovigilance of TCM, and they can guide the rational use of TCM, and then enhance the safety of TCM.

Biography :

Baihui Dong is a postgraduate student in School of Chinese materia medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China. She completed her bachelor degree from Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2012. She won the honorary title of excellent student  for many times and scholarship in each year during shes undergraduate study. She is engaged in the study of pharmacovigilance of TCM in her graduate careers.