Many patients with debilitating diseases such as arthritis seek out alternative treatments, studies show. But one such option, the Chinese "black ball," contains much more than the 20 herbs its manufacturers advertise, according to researchers.
Black balls come loaded with a tranquilizer and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
These additional ingredients make some users quite ill, Peter S. Marshall of St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in Minnesota reported April 29 at the Clinical Research Meeting in Baltimore. He and coauthor Elie Gertner, also at St. Paul-Ramsey, examined five people in the last 3 months who fell ill after taking black balls. The patients suffered primarily from gastrointestinal problems and drowsiness.
The researchers analyzed the black balls that these patients used and found that the balls contained the sedative diazepam, Marshall says. Two black balls would make someone quite sleepy, yet some manufacturers recommend taking 6 to 12 per day, Marshall says. These so-called herbal drugs, which look like gumballs, also had a significant amount -- about 100 milligrams -- of mefenamic acid, an anti-inflammatory.
Black balls are available in stores across the United States and through mail-order catalogs. Their manufacturers tout them as safe, drugfree cures for arthritis, asthma, migraines, and more, Marshall says. As with many herbal medicines, it's difficult to track down who manufactures the balls or what goes into them, he contends.
"Many, many people take [black balls] without having problems," Marshall adds. Doctors need to be aware that their patients might be using these potentially risky remedies, he says. Other researchers have found drugs, including steroids, in herbal medicines.
COPYRIGHT 1994 Science Service, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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