title: Deleterious effects of traditional Chinese medicine preparations on the course of psoriasis--a case report.
abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic and difficult to treat condition which negatively affects the patient's quality of life. Frustrated and unsatisfied with the conventional therapies, psoriatic patients start looking for alternative treatment which they believe to be safe and effective. Very common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) appears to offer various topical and systemic herbal preparations, as well as massages, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle alternations. The presented study concerns a 48-year-old female patient with exacerbated psoriatic skin lesions (tending to become erythrodermic), and certain systemic complications that appeared after taking a TCM herbal medication, Fu Fang Quing Dai Wan, as well as the use of a Chinese herbal bath gel and staying on a diet rich in meat. After in vitro examinations were made of the herbal preparation and its biological properties determined, it was concluded that the TCM herbal preparation should not be considered harmless. Therefore, patients should be made aware of its adverse reactions.
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Paediatric Dermatology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Aldona
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pietrzak
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Paediatric Dermatology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartosińska
authors.affiliation: Division of Health in the Community, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dreiher
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Szepietowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gawlik-Dziki
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maciejewski
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Hematooncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podhorecka
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Paediatric Dermatology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chodorowska
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D006854:Hydrocortisone