Skip to main content

International Journal of Phytomedicine and Phytotherapy

Table 1 Case reports included

From: Overview on pharmacovigilance of nephrotoxic herbal medicines used worldwide

Herb

Country

Gender

Age (yeas)

Reason

Preparation

Renal side effect

Causality

Reference

Dioscorea quinqueloba

Korea

male

52

cardiovascular disease

Raw extract

biopsy-proven acute interstitial nephritis

Certain

2014, [14]

Dioscorea quinqueloba

Korea

male

51

for his own health

dug up tubers of D. quinqueloba and drank about 400 mL of juice made from the raw tubers

acute kidney injury

Probable

2015, [15]

Dioscorea quinqueloba

Korea

male

68–58

Diabetes mellitus and health tonics

extract from tubers

acute kidney injury

Possible

2011, [16]

Cape aloes

Soweto, South Africa

male

47

to clean his stomach

Taken the remedy by mouth at least three times during the month before admission, with the last dose about 10 days before admission.

acute oliguric renal failure and liver dysfunction

Certain

2002, [17]

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Serbia

female

39

sterility

ingestion of 50–100 g herbal products which contained licorice, every day for 8 weeks

Acute Renal Failure

Probable

2010, [18]

Unknown herbal vaginal pessary

Nigeria

female

22

To terminate an unwanted pregnancy

insertion of a locally prepared herb (semi-solid) into her genital tract

oliguric acute kidney injury

Probable

2017, [19]

Chenopodium polyspermum

Anatolia region, Turkey

male

45

to regulate his blood glucose levels

 

chronic renal failure

Possible

2012, [20]

Nigella sativa

Turkey

female

62

antioxidant or antidiabetic effects

N. sativa tablets for 6 d at approximately 2000 to 2500 mg/d.

acute renal failure

Possible

2013, [21]

Tribulus terrestris

Avena sativa

Panax ginseng

Zingiber officinale

Turkey

female

50

cardio-protective

4 different combination

herbal medicinal products twice a day for 2 weeks

Acute kidney injury

Possible

2014, [22]

African mango (Irvingia gabonensis)

Turkey

female

42

slimming purposes

Three months previously she started using 2 × 500 mg

African mango

rapid renal progression

Probable

2015, [23]

Lawsonia inermis

Myanmar

male

34

swelling of his face and unhealthy appearance of

his skin.

boiled henna leaves, of which he drank about 700 mL/ day for 3 days

acute kidney injury

Probable

2017, [24]

Lawsonia inermis L.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

male

32

chronic bloating and constipation

ingestion of large

amounts of boiled henna

acute renal failure

Probable

2013, [25]

Artemisia herba-alba

Tunisia (North Africa)

male

59

antidiabetic agent

aqueous

extract (two cups a day for two consecutive days)

acute tubular necrosis

Possible

2010, [26]

Euphorbia paralias

Tunisia

male

29

edema

one time ingestion of boiled plant of Euphorbia paralias ten days before

acute renal failure

Possible

2013, [27]

Cassia senna L.

Belgium

female

52

constipation

had ingested, for > 3 years, one liter of an herbal tea each day made from a bag containing 70 g of dry senna fruits

acute hepatic failure and renal impairment

Possible

2005, [28]

ayurvedic powder

India

male

33

eczematous skin lesions

Ingesttion of ayurvedic contained arsenic for last 6 months

acute kidney injury

Possible

2011, [29]

ayurvedic medication

India

female

44

to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy

Contained high levels of several heavy metals including those of mercury, lead, and manganese

acute renal failure

Possible

2015, [30]

ayurvedic supplement

India

male

24

fever and abdominal pain

Ingestion of Alternative Medicine Containing Lead

acute kidney injury

Possible

2019, [31]

Carica papaya

India

male

62

increase the platelet count

juice extracted from

papaya leaves

acute kidney injury

Possible

2019, [32]

Tribulus terrestris

Iran

male

28

to prevent kidney stone formation

2 L of T. terrestris water in two consecutive days

nephrotoxicity

Probable

2010, [33]

Aristolochia

manshuriensis

chine

male

41

urinary tract

infection

4 boxes (each containing 40 small packets) of an herbal preparation called “Fen Qing Wu Lin Wan”. That was taken twice daily for twenty consecutive days.

died in renal failure

Certain

2010, [34]

Trigonella foenum-graecum

Iran

female

62

 

daily ingestion of heat extract of fenugreek

acute interstitial nephritis

Possible

2017, [35]

Crataegus orientalis

Turkey

male

68

 

eating ½ kg of raw and drinking five cups of tea made from leaves 3 days before

Acute renal failure

Possible

2008, [36]

Tripterygium wilfordii HookF

Southwest china

male

36.6

 

ingesting approximately 50 g of wild honey

3 patients were at different degrees of renal damage, and 1 patient with severe symptoms died of acute renal failure 1 day after admission

Not excluded

2016, [37]

Colchicum autumnale

Croatia

male

62

 

ate a salad of plant with green leaves regarded as wild garlic

nephrotoxic acute tubular necrosis

Possible

2004, [38]

Rheum rhaponticum

Germany

female

52

 

increased ingestion of approximately 500 mg

of rhubarb (fresh weight) per day in the last 4 weeks

acute renal failure

Possible

2012, [39]

Pithecellobium jeringa

Malaysia

male

45

  

acute renal failure

Not excluded

2007, [40]