Tag Archives: TCM

Can Bak Kut Teh Herbal Soup Cause Liver Damage?!

Did an Australian study show that Bak Kut Teh herbal soup can cause liver damage?!

Take a look at what the study showed, and what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-11-24 : Refreshed after claims went viral again
Originally posted @ 2022-07-15

Study : Bak Kut Teh Herbal Soup Can Cause Liver Damage!

Australian scientists caused a ruckus in 2022 when their study alleged that the Asian herbal soup called Bak Kut Teh can cause liver damage.

The media excitedly jumped on it, with alarming titles to draw attention (and drive traffic?) :

Adelaide Now : Adelaide forensic expert issues safety warning over liver failure soup

ABC : Bak kut teh herbal soup may cause liver damage and interact with medication, study finds

Medical Xpress : Popular Malaysian soup can cause liver damage when mixed with medication

The Epoch Times : University Professor Warns of Risks Caused by Popular Chinese Soup

Says : Australian Researchers Find Bak Kut Teh Can Cause Liver Damage When Taken With Medicine

Truth : Study Does Not Show Bak Kut Teh Causing Liver Damage!

Despite the alarming titles, there is no need to panic… because the study does NOT show the herbal soup causing any liver damage.

Here is a quick summary for those who just need to know the basics :

It was a laboratory study, which means the results may not translate into actual effect in a living human being.
What we eat is digested and broken down, so our body absorbs the nutrients and not the actual food. Hence, the study does not accurately replicate what happens in our body.
They didn’t test bak kut teh… they only tested four soup bases used to make bak kut teh.
The soup concentrations were unspecified, so it is unknown if the doses are equivalent to what our livers are subjected to after a meal.
They did not test drug interactions, so it is amazing how so many media outlets claimed that the study showed that bak kut teh may interact with medication!

In short, this study does not show that bak kut teh causes liver damage. Neither does it show bak kut teh causing drug interactions of any kind.

I understand Professor Byard’s concerns about the “unknown” contents of these soup base preparations. Certain traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) have been associated with acute liver failure.

However, that isn’t so much a “bak kut teh” problem, but rather a problem with traditional Chinese medicine or Chinese herbal medicine.

For those who are interested in the details, please scroll down to the next section.

Why Study Does Not Show Bak Kut Teh Causing Liver Damage

Let’s start with the basics, and work our way through the Australian study.

Fact #1 : Study Was Conducted By Australian Scientists

First, the study was conducted by University of Adelaide and University of Melbourne scientists – Susan M. Britza, Rachael Farrington, Ian F. Musgrave, Craig Aboltins and Roger W. Byard.

It was published in the journal Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology, and you can read the study here.

Fact #2 : It Was A Laboratory Study

It is important to note that this was an in-vitro study – a laboratory study, not a clinical study.

In-vitro studies are important, but they cannot be extrapolated to make any conclusion about what actually happens in a human body.

For example, in-vitro studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin have an inhibitory effect on the SARS-CoV-2 virus; but once tested in actual human beings – they were shown to have no clinical benefit.

In other words – what happens in a test tube, may not happen in an actual human being.

Fact #3 : What We Eat Is Not What Our Body Absorbs

There is one big problem with doing in-vitro tests on food – what we eat is not what our body absorbs.

Food gets digested, and broken down into nutrients that are absorbed in our intestines. Even simple sugar gets broken down into glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, sucrose, etc.

So soaking liver cells in a bak kut teh soup would most definitely not reflect what our liver cells actually experience after a bak kut teh meal.

In short, this study does not replicate what happens in our liver when we eat bak kut teh.

Fact #4 : There Are Many Types Of Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh is not so much a “herbal soup” as it is a pork soup dish. The name “bak kut teh” literally means “meat bone tea” in the Hokkien dialect, but there is no tea in it.

It is usually just a dish of pork ribs simmered for hours in a broth of common herbs and spices like star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dong quai, fennel seeds and garlic.

But there are many variants of bak kut teh. In Malaysia and Singapore where bak kut teh is most popular, there are at least four main “styles” :

Teochew style : light in colour, with more pepper and garlic
Hokkien style : darker and more fragrant, thanks to a variety of herbs and soy sauce
Cantonese style : includes medicinal herbs for a stronger flavoured soup
Klang style : a thick and sticky gravy, like a stew

On top of that, there are also chicken and beef versions of bak kut teh. Muslims, for example, love the chicken version, which is colloquially called chi kut teh, chi being short for chicken.

And the Malaysian town of Melaka serves a delicious beef bak kut teh, which is based on a unique black pepper soup with red fermented bean curd.

Fact #5 : They Tested Four Soup Bases

The Australian team were somewhat aware of the wide variety of bak kut teh soup bases. They tested four varieties :

Formulation 1 : Dried hawthorn
Formulation 2 : Goji berries, ginseng, bark, and dried mushrooms
Formulation 3 : Polygonatum odoratum, ligusticum chuanxiong, codonopsis pilosula, cinnamomum cassia, angelica sinensis, illicium verum, piper nigrum, and Eugenia caryophyllata
Formulation 4 : Spices, pepper and salt

It is important to note that instead of preparing bak kut teh like you and I would – with meat, vegetables, bean curd slices, etc., the researchers tested soups that were created only using the ingredients listed above.

In short, they did not actually test bak kut teh… they tested soups made from the ingredients above.

Fact #6 : Soup Concentration Was Unspecified

To prepare the four soups for testing, researchers added a sachet of each soup mix to boiling water (of unspecified quantity) for 5 minutes.

The concentration of each soup base was unspecified. They only listed the dilution factor. As such, it is quite impossible to draw any sort of conclusion from the results.

As any toxicologist will tell you – the dose makes the poison. This is why the concentration of any substance is critical in any study. Even water and oxygen – essential to human life to be sure – is toxic at high doses.

Fact #7 : Soups Were Prepared In 5 Minutes

It is important to point out that the soups the researchers used were prepared in just 5 minutes. Bak kut teh is usually prepared by simmering the meat in the soup for hours.

It would have been a good idea to prepare the soup bases like real bak kut teh soup, because boiling the soup for several hours could potentially break down toxins present in its ingredients.

In fact, it would have been better for the researchers to just buy real bak kut teh, instead of resorting to their soup bases prepared in just 5 minutes.

Fact #8 : They Tested Using HepG2 Liver Cancer Cells

It is also important to note that the researchers tested the soup bases by adding them to HepG2 cell cultures, not normal liver cells.

HepG2 is a hepatoblastoma (a type of liver cancer) cell line that was obtained from a 15 year-old boy suffering from liver cancer in 1975.

Now, there is nothing wrong with that – HepG2 is commonly used to test cytotoxicity of substances. Still, it must still be pointed out that HepG2 is not the same thing as normal liver cells.

In-vitro studies based on these cells should not be used to draw any conclusion, only used to drive further research.

Differences	HepG2 Cells	Normal Liver Cells
Cell Size	12-19 µm	15 µm
Cell Shape	Polygonal	Cube
Nuclei	Single large nuclei with 3-7 nucleoli	Two or more nuclei
Mitochondrial Content	Low	High
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum	Poorly Developed	High
No. of Chromosomes	50-60	46
DNA Content	7.5 pg	~6 pg
Genome Stability	Unstable	Stable

Fact #9 : Spices, Pepper + Salt Did Worst In Their Tests

What I found most interesting in their results was the fact that the most “toxic” soup was Formulation 4, which consisted of nothing more than spices, pepper and salt.

Formulation 4 showed the most significant toxicity to the HepG2 cell line with approximately 83% cell death before dilution (p < 0.0001) and persistent toxicity even with dilution 1:10 (15% ± 3.7, p = 0.023) and 1:1000 (14% ± 3.8, p = 0.024)

Well, that’s gonna worry fans of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which boasts 11 herbs and spices, including pepper and salt!

Jokes aside, this result suggest that common spices, pepper and salt are more toxic to HepG2 liver cells than the more fanciful bak kut teh preparations!

Fact #10 : They Did Not Test Drug Interactions

I’m not sure how this study touches on drug interaction, since they didn’t test the soup bases with common hepatotoxic drugs like paracetamol to see if there is a synergistic effect.

No matter how you slice and dice this study’s results, they tell us nothing about any possible interaction with other herbs / drugs.

Yet so many media outlets made the startling claim that the study showed that bak kut teh may interact with medication! Nowhere in the study does it say that!

It appears that most of these journalists probably did not even bother to read the study, and perhaps only paraphrased what other people were writing.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Can Drinking Fermented Tea Prevent COVID-19?!

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Did new Chinese research prove that you can prevent COVID-19 infections by drinking fermented tea?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Fermented Tea Can Prevent COVID-19!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that new Chinese research has proven that you can prevent COVID-19 infections by drinking fermented tea!

Chiayi Chang Gung Hospital, and China Medical University published: The so-called principle that drinking tea can prevent coronavirus is as follows:

Scientists put the virus into the tea water and let it stand for 1 minute~ They found that 90% of the virus in the tea water was killed. It can kill 100% if left for 3 minutes. Especially tea species with a high degree of fermentation (such as black tea/Taiwan oolong tea/Pu-erh cooked tea, etc.) have a good bactericidal effect~because the virus survives on the oral and nasal mucosa when it is just infected.

Drinking tea at this time can destroy the virus cell wall and flush the virus into gastric juice to kill the virus. There are tea products with high thearubigin content at home that can be drunk at any time after brewing~ As long as the tea leaves are less irritating, they can be drunk all day without causing headache/stomach pain or scraping of the stomach/tea that does not affect sleep can effectively prevent the epidemic.

Please share this information~ Drink more tea to help yourself and use kind knowledge to help others.

嘉义长庚医院、中国医科大学发表：所谓喝茶预防冠状病毒原理如下：科学家将病毒放入茶水中静置1分钟发现90%的病毒在茶水中被杀。如果放置3分钟，它可以杀死100％。尤其是发酵度高的茶种（如红茶/台湾乌龙茶/普洱熟茶等）有很好的杀菌作用因为病毒在刚感染时就存活在口腔和鼻粘膜上。这个时候喝茶，可以破坏病毒细胞壁，将病毒冲入胃液，杀灭病毒。家里有茶红素含量高的茶品，冲泡后可以随时饮用只要茶叶刺激性小，可以喝一整天，不会引起头痛/胃痛或擦伤胃/茶不影响睡眠可以有效预防疫情。请分享这个信息多喝茶帮助自己，用善良的知识帮助别人。

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Truth : Fermented Tea Cannot Prevent COVID-19!

This is yet another example of COVID-19 fake news circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Evidence Of Such Research

First, let’s start with the fact that there is no evidence that the Chiayi Chang Gung Hospital, and the China Medical University – both from Taiwan, ever published joint research proving that drinking fermented tea can prevent COVID-19 infections.

Back in March 2020 (before COVID-19 vaccines and treatments were developed) researchers at the Chiayi Chang Gung Hospital’s Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine used a computer program to identify potential antiviral components in traditional plants.

They identified theaflavin – a polyphenolic compound found in black tea leaves, as a potential inhibitor of protease activity in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thearubigin mentioned in the viral message is an oxidation product of theaflavin.

The head of that research team, Wu Ching-yuan (吳清源), claimed that its antiviral effect was similar to remdesivir. But since its publication in March 2020, there has been no further development on using theaflavin to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Even remdesivir was found to be ineffective against COVID-19, with the WHO recommending against its use in November 2020.

In any case, the researchers did not even claim that drinking tea – whether black or fermented, can prevent COVID-19 infections.

Fact #2 : SARS-CoV-2 Is A Respiratory Virus

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a respiratory virus, which means it primarily infects you through your respiratory system, and to a lesser extent – through your eyes.

Therefore, drinking hot water and drinks, even coffee or tea, has absolutely NO EFFECT on the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

This study identifies possible associations between COVID, the vaccine and the development of SJS/TEN.

We propose three theories for this seven-fold increase in case number; a virus induced, a vaccine induced and a threshold lowering pathway.

We advise future research investigates the impact viruses such as SARS-COV-2 have on immune mediated diseases such as SJS/TEN.

Fact #3 : COVID-19 Is A Virus, Not Bacteria

The viral message claims that highly-fermented tea like black tea, Taiwan oolong tea, Pu-erh kills the COVID-19 coronavirus, because they have “good bactericidal activity“.

This is like pointing out that water has good firefighting activity while recommending it for cleaning an oil spill… The creator of this fake news does not seem to understand that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus, not bacteria.

The viral message also wrongly claims that the COVID-19 coronavirus has cell walls. As a virus, SARS-CoV-2 does not have any cell wall. It only has a protective protein coat called a capsid.

Fact #4 : SARS-CoV-2 Is Sensitive To Temperature

It is no surprise that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is sensitive to temperature. This has been confirmed through numerous research early in the pandemic. You don’t even need boiling hot water or tea to kill it!

At normal room temperatures, 90% of the virus will be automatically destroyed / deactivated after 20-50 hours. But if you raise the temperature to just 54.5°C, the time is cut down to less than 1 hour!

Based on those research, conservatively, the COVID-19 coronavirus can be killed by simply heating contaminated objects for:

3 minutes at temperature above 75°C (160°F).
5 minutes for temperatures above 65°C (149°F).
20 minutes for temperatures above 60°C (140°F).

Needless to say, at 100°C, the virus is instantly destroyed. There is no need to leave the virus in boiling hot water / tea for 3 minutes to kill it, as the viral message claims.

Fact #5 : This Is Just COVID-19 Fake News

This is just another example of COVID-19 fake news circulating on WhatsApp and social media. Here are other recent examples:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Elbow Pit Slapping For Heart Attack : Does It Work?!

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Elbow pit slapping has been recommended for treating and preventing heart attack for many years now, but does it really work?

Elbow Pit Slapping For Heart Attack : What Is It?

The elbow pit slapping method is based on traditional Chinese medicine belief that there are three acupressure (meridian) points around the left arm, that affects the heart and lungs.

The idea is that slapping the left elbow pit, until it turns red, will restore qi (energy) and blood circulation to the heart and lungs.

It also claims that slapping the left elbow pit on a daily basis can prevent heart disease, and reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Elbow Pit Slapping For Heart Attack : The Evidence?

People are sharing this message together with a video showing a man who apparently had a heart attack while watching a movie in a cinema.

A sudden heart attack in a Singapore theater. The Singapore doctor & helpers slapped their hands on the patient’s arms and he recovered after about 2 minutes.

This video gives you advice on emergency situations to pay attention to heart patients and how to deal with a heart attack that usually happens suddenly.

Many become so helpless and die on the way to the hospital.

Please remember:

1. By slapping the inner elbow of the left hand as shown in the video, it stimulates the three acupressure points around the left side which are related to the heart and lungs.

2. Slapping will speed up blood circulation, which makes the person feel warm and stops sweating.

3. You need to know that a heart attack is due to a blockage of blood circulation. By tapping and slapping the inner elbow of the hand, you can increase body temperature, avoid aggregation, and facilitate blood circulation. Then immediately take the person to the hospital.

4. It is good to pat this part the inside of the left elbow every day as it can prevent any heart disease and reduce the incidence of heart attack.

Must be shared with all contacts. Small efforts can save lives. God bless you.

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A Chinese sinseh (traditional doctor) can be seen in the video reviving the man by slapping his elbow pit for 2 minutes.

The video is being shared as evidence that the elbow pit slapping method really works in reviving patients suffering from a heart attack.

Truth : Elbow Pit Slapping Does NOT Work For Heart Attack!

Fact #1 : Slapping Elbow Pit Does Not Treat / Prevent Heart Attack

The truth is slapping the elbow pit will not revive someone with a heart attack. Neither can slapping your elbow pit on a daily basis help prevent heart disease, or a heart attack.

There is simply no scientific basis, never mind actual fact, behind such claims. It is DANGEROUS to teach people to do this.

People who use this method, instead of calling for medical assistance, will likely cause more harm, even death.

Do NOT play doctor! If you encounter someone suffering from a heart attack, you should quickly call for an ambulance, and perform CPR!

Fact #2 : It Has Been Debunked By Taiwanese Doctors

As our fact check video above shows, the Taiwanese Ministry of Health and Welfare asked doctors to publicly debunk this elbow pit slapping method.

They pointed out that believing such fake stories could result in poor outcomes for the victims, because proper treatment would likely be delayed.

Fact #3 : Video Likely Not Recorded In Singapore

The incident in the viral video very likely did not happen in Singapore.

A careful listening of the voices will reveal that they are speaking Mandarin with a Mainland Chinese accent. So the video was most likely recorded in China.

Fact #4 : It Appears To Be Video Of A TCM Seminar

A careful examination of the video will show that while they appear to be in a mini theatre, they don’t appear to be watching a movie.

A purple podium with Chinese characters can be seen on the left side of the screen, and the staff appears to be wearing purple uniforms – one is even wearing an orange sash.

It is likely that this may be some kind of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) seminar being held in a cinema.

Fact #5 : The Man Doesn’t Look Like He Had A Heart Attack

The man did not appear to be suffering from a heart attack. Instead of clutching his chest in pain and breaking out in cold sweat, he was just unconscious.

And when they revived him, he appeared disorientated, shook his head and got up several times. He also appeared to be breathing normally.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Is Lianhua Qingwen More Effective Than Paxlovid?!

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Is the Chinese herbal medicine Lianhua Qingwen more effective than the Pfizer Paxlovid antiviral combination?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Lianhua Qingwen Is More Effective Than Paxlovid!

People are sharing a link to a Bloomberg called “Pfizer’s Covid Pill Doesn’t Work For Healthier Patients, Will Focus On Those With higher Risk”, together with this message :

Pfizer scams the world with US$22 billion in sales of Paxlovid to treat Covid.
Now finds that Paxlovid does not work and may cause rebound of disease.
Malaysia has ordered 200,000 doses at a cost of RM500 million –
RM2,500 per dose compared to a few bucks for China’s effective Lian Hwa pills.

Truth : Paxlovid Is More Effective Than Lianhua Qingwen!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) as part of their campaign to support Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Paxlovid Is Combination Of Two Antiviral Drugs

Pfizer PAXLOVID is an antiviral treatment that consists of two protease inhibitors :

two 150 mg tablets of Nirmatrelvir (the new protease inhibitor developed by Pfizer)
one 100 mg tablet of Ritonavir (an old antiviral approved in 1996)

Protease inhibitors work by binding to proteolytic enzymes used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. This prevents the virus from replicating in the infected cells, stopping the infection and preventing transmission.

Drug combinations like this offer a synergistic effect, above and beyond their individual abilities. In this combination, ritonavir helps to slow down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.

Fact #2 : Paxlovid Was Proven To Work Against COVID-19

Unlike Lianhua Qingwen, Paxlovid underwent and passed an actual randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

In the EPIC-HR clinical trial, Paxlovid was shown to reduce hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 by 88%, compared to placebo.

That statistically significant result was why the US FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for Paxlovid on December 22, 2021.

The EUA allows Paxlovid to be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years and older, who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Fact #3 : Paxlovid EPIC-HR Trial Involved High-Risk Patients

I should point out that the EPIC-HR trial involved adults who have a high risk of developing severe COVID-19 :

18 years and older with a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19, or
60 years and older, regardless of chronic medical conditions

All these patients also were not vaccinated against COVID-19, which puts them at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Fact #4 : Paxlovid Not Effective In Normal Risk Patients

After successfully proving that Paxlovid worked for patients who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, Pfizer tested it on “standard risk patients”.

Their study showed a 51% relative risk reduction of developing severe COVID-19, which was not statistically significant.

That was why Pfizer halted further enrolment in its Paxlovid trial for “standard risk patients”, which are people who do not have co-morbidities – health conditions that put them at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

This “failure” actually shows the value of running clinical tests, before approving any drug. Unlike Paxlovid though, Lianhua Qingwen did not undergo any clinical trial to prove that it can treat or prevent COVID-19.

Fact #5 : Lianhua Qingwen Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19

Lianhua Qingwen (连花清瘟) has been heavily promoted by the Chinese government and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), leading to massive sales in the global Chinese diaspora.

It then gained oversized importance when both Hong Kong and Shanghai distributed boxes of these capsules to help stave off the surge of COVID-19 in both cities.

Yet, the mass distribution of Lianhua Qingwen has done nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 in both cities.

That’s because, unlike Paxlovid, there never was any evidence that Lianhua Qingwen can treat or prevent COVID-19.

Its main “call to fame” was a small Chinese study conducted early during the pandemic, which showed that it had only a modest effect on symptom recovery :

time to recover from fever : 2 days, instead of 3 days
time to recover from fatigue : 3 days, instead of 6 days
time to recover from coughing : 7 days, instead of 10 days

There was NO DIFFERENCE in the viral load, or the risk of developing severe COVID-19.

In other words – Lianhua Qingwen only helped to reduce symptoms, and was no different from taking over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol.

Fact #6 : Lianhua Qingwen Should Not Be Taken To Prevent COVID-19

Official Chinese media outlets like CGTN and China Daily have falsely claimed that that Lianhua Qingwen was “proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19” and that it was “approved to treat [COVID-19] virus”.

However, Lianhua Qingwen cannot prevent COVID-19, and should not be taken on a long-term basis to prevent it, due to potential side effects.

The medicine could cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.

Fang Bangjiang, doctor from Long Hua Hospital of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that Lianhua Qingwen has complex ingredients and is mainly suitable for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms of fever and pneumonia but unsuitable for prevention.

Its ingredients will affect the renal system.

Fact #7 : Chinese Official Admits Lianhua Qingwen Cannot Kill Coronavirus

When Chinese Deputy Consul General in Vancouver, Kong Weiwei, was confronted about these claims, he said that people should be “mature enough” to do their own research and understand that Lianhua Qingwen cannot kill the COVID-19 virus :

They’re not babies. We don’t want to be like a nanny telling every one of them that these [Lianhua Qingwen capsules] cannot kill the virus.

Fact #8 : Singapore HSA Warns Against Lianhua Qingwen Claims

The Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) continues to warn the public not to believe the many misleading claims made about Lianhua Qingwen’s ability to treat or prevent COVID-19.

To date, there is no scientific evidence from randomised clinical trials to show that any herbal product, including Lianhua Qingwen products, can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.

All herbal products formulated for common cold and flu, including CPM, should only be used to manage symptoms such as headache, runny or blocked nose, sore throat and cough.

We strongly advise members of the public not to fall prey to unsubstantiated claims or spread unfounded rumours that herbal products can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Fact Check : Foods You Should Never Eat With Durian?!

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Are there foods that you should never eat with durian, because they will make you sick… or even worse, kill you?!

Take a look at these viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : These Are Foods You Should Never Eat With Durian!

Durian has long been popular in South East Asia, and yet, there are so many myths and misinformation about this King of Fruits.

Many of these myths and misinformation have been circulating on social media, and spread on websites.

Even TikTok influencers, like a certain Malaysian Dato, are trying to ride on the durian gravy train to Internet stardom.

Here is a list of foods these “Internet gurus / experts” claim you should never eat with durian, because they will make you sick… or worse, kill you!

Coca-Cola
Coffee
Milk
White wine / alcohol
Crabs / seafood
Beef / mutton
Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergine
Mangosteen / Lychee

I will add more, as and when I find new foods that people believe are dangerous to eat with durian.

Truth : You Can Eat These Foods With Durian!

The truth is – these claims are made up by self-professed Internet gurus / experts who have absolutely NO IDEA what the heck they are talking about, and here are the reasons why…

Note : Some of these claims are based on Chinese traditional medicine “beliefs”. I can only tell you what has been scientifically proven or known.

Fact #1 : You Can Drink Coca-Cola While Eating Durian

There is no scientific basis for the claim that Coca-Cola or other soft drinks are dangerous to drink while eating durian.

Coca-Cola and other soft drinks are nothing more than flavoured carbonated water with a lot of sugar in them. They do not interact with durian to produce anything toxic.

However, it is not advisable to imbibe in durian and soft drinks often, as they are both very high in calories.

Fact #2 : You Can Drink Coffee While Eating Durian

There is no scientific basis for the claim that drinking coffee while eating durian can increase your blood pressure and cause a heart attack!

In fact, there are many companies selling durian coffee – basically coffee with durian extracts. Such drinks would have caused many deaths if this claim was true.

It is possible that this false claim originated from a 2018 case in Penang, Malaysia; where two Nepali men were hospitalised after drinking durian coffee that had been tampered with an unknown drug.

The coffee mixture also contains a foreign green substance which is not available in the original packaging. There is a marked difference in weightage, contents and packaging.

The instant durian coffee mixture is laced with a kind of drug, which has yet to be identified, based on the symptoms shown by the two men.

Besides, heart attacks are caused by blockage of your heart’s arteries, by blood clots and arteriosclerosis that develop over years. The mixing of durian and coffee cannot produce instant arteriosclerosis or blood clots.

Fact #3 : You Can Drink Milk While Eating Durian

The claim that drinking milk after eating durian is lethal, because it will increase your blood pressure and cause a heart attack, is nonsense.

It is also not logical. Heart attacks are caused by blockage of your heart’s arteries, by blood clots and arteriosclerosis that develop over years. The mixing of milk and durian cannot produce instant arteriosclerosis or blood clots.

Fact #4 : You Can Drink Some Alcohol While Eating Durian

It is claimed that drinking alcohol while eating durian can cause severe indigestion, heartburn and even death. Allegedly, the high sulphur content in durian helps to break down the alcohol in your body… killing you?

As you can tell, even the premise behind this claim is ridiculous – how does the higher metabolism of alcohol injure or kill you? If the high sulphur content in durian increases metabolism of alcohol, it would allow you to better sustain higher levels of drinking!

It is really the other way around – durian have disulphide (disulfide) compounds that may have a disulfiram effect.

Popularly known as Antabuse, disulfiram is a drug that prevents our body from properly metabolising alcohol, causing unpleasant side effects like headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, chest pain, hyperventilation, vertigo, etc. – what you would experience with an alcohol hangover.

A single 2009 laboratory study showed that the raw durian fruit has disulphide compounds that inhibit up to 70% of the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme, potentially producing the disulfiram effect. However, this has not yet been confirmed in actual human or animal studies.

There is, therefore, no actual scientific basis for the claim that drinking alcohol while eating durian is dangerous. Even if the disulphide compounds in durian do produce a disulfiram effect, it will only cause hangover-like effects that are unpleasant but won’t kill you.

However, out of an abundance of caution, it would be a good idea to limit your alcohol intake while eating durian, while monitoring for the disulfiram effect. If you do experience it while eating durian, you should stop consuming alcohol.

Original credit : Year of the Durian

Fact #5 : You Can Eat Crabs / Seafood While Eating Durian

This myth is based on TCM belief that crabs / seafood are “cooling” while durian is “warming” or “heaty”.

Apparently, they believe that it is not good for “cooling” and “warming” foods to mix in your stomach, because it “confuses” the digestive system and causes the stomach to be “upset”.

This belief is not backed by any scientific evidence. It isn’t even consistent – TCM practitioners also advise against mixing alcohol and durian because they are both “warming” foods.

There is no reason or evidence that eating crabs or any kind of seafood with durian, or after eating durian, is bad or dangerous in any way.

Fact #6 : You Can Eat Beef / Mutton While Eating Durian

This myth is based on TCM belief that beef and mutton are “warming” or “heaty” foods. Apparently, they believe that eating two “warming” foods together increases the “heatiness” of your body, and cause inflammation.

There is simply no scientific evidence that any of that mumbo-jumbo is true, never mind any actual evidence eating beef or mutton with durian causes any harm.

These false claims are not even consistent. In Fact #5, I shared how TCM believes the opposite is also true – that mixing “cooling” and “warming” foods is bad.

Angus beef burger with D24 durian by Lombardo’s

Fact #7 : You Can Eat Brinjal / Eggplant With Durian

This myth is based on TCM belief that brinjal / eggplant and durian are both “warming” foods, and that eating them together will make you sick by increasing the “heatiness” and inflammation of your body.

Again, this is utter nonsense that has no scientific evidence or basis whatsoever.

Fact #8 : You Can Eat Mangosteen / Lychee With Durian

Now, this is a real test in logic. TCM practitioners say that mangosteen and lychee should not be consumed with durian because… get this – they are “cooling” and “warming” foods respectively!

Mangosteen + durian is apparently bad because mixing “cooling” and “warming” foods confuses the digestive system, leading to an upset stomach.

Lychee + durian is apparently bad because mixing two “warming” foods increases your body’s “heatiness” and causes inflammation.

Twisted yourself into a pretzel trying to figure this nonsense out? Don’t bother.

There is simply no scientific evidence or basis whatsoever that it is dangerous or bad to eat mangosteen or lychee with durian.

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Warning : Please avoid creating TikTok videos after eating durian, because it apparently makes you Tok Kok (talk cock)!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did FDA Approve Lianhua Qingwen As COVID-19 Treatment?

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Did the FDA approve the Lianhua Qingwen as a treatment for mild COVID-19?

Find out what’s the latest miracle drug on social media, and what the FACTS really are!

Claim : FDA Approved Lianhua Qingwen As COVID-19 Treatment!

People are sharing an MSN News report that claims that the traditional Chinese medicine, Lianhua Qingwen, was approved by the FDA as a treatment for mild COVID-19!

MSN News proclaimed, FDA approves China drug Lian Hua Qing Wen for mild COVID-19.

Truth : FDA Did NOT Approve Lianhua Qingwen As COVID-19 Treatment!

Like 99.9% of miraculous cures being touted on social media, this is yet more fake news about another COVID-19 treatment.

Here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Was Posted By GMA News In December 2020

This news article is actually old news, and was posted on 8 December 2020.

It wasn’t even published by MSN News. They merely syndicated the news from GMA News.

Fact #2 : It Was Approved By PH FDA, Not US FDA

Due to the misleading title, many people thought Lianhua Qingwen was approved by the US FDA.

It was actually approved by the Philippines FDA, not the US FDA.

Fact #3 : It Was Approved As Traditional Medicine, Not COVID-19 Treatment

The Philippines FDA approved Lianhua Qingwen as traditional medicine, not as a treatment for mild COVID-19.

This was what Philippines FDA Director General Eric Domingo said :

It was approved last Friday as traditional medicine. It may now be sold, prescribed, and used in the Philippines.

It was the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines who touted Lianhua Qingwen as a treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19 cases that was approved in China.

As of 2 August 2021, it has not been approved in the Philippines for use as a treatment for COVID-19.

Fact #4 : Lianhua Qingwen NOT Proven To Cure COVID-19

Despite being approved as a treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19 cases in China, there is currently no evidence that Lianhua Qingwen can cure COVID-19.

That’s hardly surprising because Lianhua Qingwen is merely a mix of herbs :

Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl (Weeping Forsythia) Fruit -27.41mg Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower-27.41mg Gypsum Fibrosum-27.41mg Isatis indigotica Fort. (Isatis) Root-27.41mg Dryopteris crassirhizoma Nakai (Male Fern) Rhizome and Frond Bases -27.41 mg Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Heartleaf Houttuynia) Aerial Part- 27.41 mg Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Cablin Patchouli) Aerial Part-9.40mg Ephedra sinica Stapf (Ephedra) Herbaceous Stem-9.14mg Prunus sibirica L. (Bitter Apricot) Ripe Seeds-9.14 mg Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. et Thomson) H.Ohba (Bigflower Rhodiola) Root and Rhizome-9.14mg Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (Liquorice) Root and Rhizome-9.14mg 1-Menthol-7.50mg Rheum palmatum L. (Rhubarb) Root and Rhizome-5.47mg

None of its ingredients have been proven to cure COVID-19, although poor quality studies have demonstrated that it is effective in reducing fever.

And yes, Forsythia is the name of the fake homeopathic cure created by Jude Law’s character – Alan Krumwiede in the medical thriller – Contagion.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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