[Information quality and health risks in Spanish-language retail websites for Chinese herbal medicine].
OBJECTIVE
The growing use of purchase online via Internet retailers favours the access to potentially toxic natural products. It also contributes to the quick dissemination of the claims made by the retailers on efficacy and safety, these claims being not always based upon reliable information. Here, we have conducted an online search to find Spanish-language retail websites for Chinese herbal medicine and we have analysed them for the quality of product information and the potential health risks.


METHODS
i) Online search in Google España to find Spanish-language retail websites for Chinese herbal medicine in which we analysed both the claims regarding possible health benefits and adequate safe use indications ii) Identification of potentially toxic herbs in the websites iii) Quantification of Chinese herbal medicines withdrawn by the Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS).


RESULTS
1) Only one third of the 30 Spanish-language retail websites found which sell Chinese herbal medicine observe the law, given that the other websites include illegal Western disease claims as marketing tools, 2) Five websites provide some safety information, 3) Two websites offer potentially toxic herbs and 4) Chinese herbal medicine adulterated with sibutramine, silfenafil or their analogues make a considerable percentage of the total products withdrawn by the AEMPS.


CONCLUSIONS
Online health seekers should be warned about misinformation on retail websites for Chinese herbal medicine and directed to a Spanish government Web site for guidance in safely navigating the Internet for buying Chinese herbal medicine.
Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, España. Electronic address: ntejedor@hotmail.com.
Noelia
N
Tejedor-García
Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, España.
Coral
C
García-Pastor
Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, España.
Selma
S
Benito-Martínez
Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, España.
Francisco Javier
FJ
de Lucio-Cazaña
D000329:Advertising; D003132:Commerce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003142:Communication; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D004340:Drug Contamination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004346:Drug Information Services; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007802:Language; D040541:Marketing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D063046:Patient Medication Knowledge; D012306:Risk; D056737:Safety-Based Drug Withdrawals; D013030:Spain
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
Advertising; Chinese herbal medicine; Complementary therapies; Complementos alimenticios; Dietary supplements; Internet; Legislación y jurisprudencia; Legislation and jurisprudence; Medicina herbal china; Medicina tradicional china; Publicidad; Terapias complementarias; Toxicidad; Toxicity; Traditional Chinese medicine