Side Effects
At medicinal doses, T. wilfordii extract does have significant side effects, including immunosuppression. However, this may not apply to contraceptive use. Many of the side effects are caused by the other active compounds found in the plant, and do not appear when a pure extraction of the anti-fertility agents is used. In addition, the dose required to lower fertility is significantly lower than the standard medicinal dose.
In August 2011, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a drug safety bulletin advising consumers not to use medicines containing Lei Gong Teng. This was due to concerns over potentially serious side effects.
Baidu Baike cautions do not take internally; China State Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in April 2012 about this medicine, urging caution.
However, a recent review stated that although Tripterygium wilfordii has toxic potential, careful extraction gives an acceptable frequency of adverse reactions, which are largely related to the gastrointestinal tract and amenorrhea. The review found that T. wilfordii extract is useful remedy for postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis.
The Beijing TV series of China Medicine has shown people being treated successfully with the herb in a formula for rheumatoid arthritis. and outlined some practice to alleviate problems of using the herb. As often the case of TCM, formulations need to to be adjusted for individual's physiology for best result.
Read more about this topic: Tripterygium Wilfordii
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