A temple worker in Taoyuan has been indicted after an autopsy found that herbal medicine she sold to a temple patron last year caused the patron’s death.
A betel nut saleswoman surnamed Lai (賴), 28, was left with red blotches on her cheeks after undergoing cosmetic surgery.
She was visiting a temple in the city’s Dayuan District (大園) on June 30 last year when a woman surnamed Chiu (邱), 51, who was selling herbal medicine at a stall inside the temple, noticed her red cheeks and called out to her.
Chiu allegedly told Lai that her cheeks were a symptom of “toxicity” in her body and that she could detoxify herself by consuming two teaspoons daily of ground Chinese staff vine, or Celastrus angulatus, the indictment said.
Chiu sold the herbal medicine to Lai for NT$1,000, which she took every day as instructed, the indictment said, adding that on July 14, Lai contracted a high fever that worsened the following day, after which she was rushed to Linkou’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
However, she did not respond to medical treatment and died on Aug. 9, it said.
An autopsy revealed that Lai contracted toxic hepatitis from consuming the vine, which led to acute liver necrosis and organ failure, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office said.
As Lai’s condition worsened, she developed hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy — a condition that arises when the brain is deprived of oxygen, prosecutors said.
Chiu said she did not force Lai to take the herbal medicine, that she had not intended to profit from selling it and that she was not acting as a medical practitioner, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Chiu’s actions constituted an attempt to practice medicine without a license, contravening the Physicians’ Act (醫師法), which could make her guilty of negligent homicide.
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital toxicology ward director Yan Tsung-hai (顏宗海) on Saturday said that the vine is frequently used in herbal medicines throughout Asia, as it is believed to reduce fever and inflammation, among other effects.
However, research in Taiwan and abroad has found that the vine can have adverse effects on the body, including acute hepatitis, and can even lead to organ failure — which is what happened in Lai’s case, Yan said.
People should always seek help from registered medical practitioners, he said.
Ministry of Health and Welfare official in charge of herbal medicine Chen Pin-chi (陳聘琪) said that Chinese staff vine is not used by recognized traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, but is commonly used in folk remedies.
People should not consume the vine, Chen said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese