Black Pearl Chinese Herbs

Chinese patent medicines, also called Black Pearls, are small, round and black in appearance. The pills consist of extracted, condensed Chinese herbs. The term patent does not mean the pills are patented but instead refers to the formula used in the manufacturing process, which is mandated by Chinese law. While some Chinese herbal formulas are safe, there are ingredients in Black Pearl pills that are toxic and illegal in the U.S.

Pill Coating and Ingredients

• Several countries, including the U.S., manufacture black pearl pills. Due to many documented issues with pills produced in China, use of medicines from mainland China is not recommended, according to Care Group. The black pill coating, called dan, is made from cinnabar, a substance known to contain mercury and several medical documents state that heavy metal poisoning has occurred in people who have taken Black Pearl Chinese herbs in pill form. The true ingredients in the coating and the pill interior are not listed on the bottle. In fact, a list of ingredients does not exist at all for some formulations that the Chinese people consider to be secret.

Drug Adulterants

• Non-toxic herbs do not exert strong effects from the small doses found in pills. If an herbal pill claims to provide a strong effect of any kind, you should suspect drug adulteration. Adulterants are chemicals or drugs added to a substance to increase effectiveness. Most street drugs, for instance, have been adulterated.

  Chinese patent medicines, such as the Black Pearl tea pills, include prescription strength drugs, some of which are known to be illegal in the U.S. The majority of pills containing illegal drugs are those manufactured for the treatment of asthma, pain and arthritis. Even the Black Pearl pill for arthritis, manufactured in the U.S. is known to contain dangerous drugs that have proven to be fatal. The Chinese patent herb formulation used for heart disease contains lethal toad venom.

Contamination

• Many patent medicines made in China were found to contain toxic levels of arsenic, mercury and lead. Traditional Chinese doctors justify the inclusion of these substance as being necessary for therapy, as long as they are used while under medical supervision and taken for short periods of time. Chinese herbal formulations for the treatment of high blood pressure, fever, trauma, sore throat, hemorrhoids, skin itch, cold symptoms and flu even contain various degrees of arsenic.

Acceptable Formulations

• Several Chinese herbal formulations fall within legal limits of containing toxic substances but may vary by batch during manufacturing. Eight Flavor and Eight Treasure Teas, along with Women's Precious Pills contain acceptable levels of metal and toxic substances. Also considered safe, by the FDA, are Prostate Gland Pills, Sea Horse Genital Tonic Pills and Yu Quan Thirst Removing Pills.