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Safety Precautions of Canadian Wild Ginger

Canadian wild ginger -- Asarum canadense -- grows in eastern Canada, the northeastern United States and the Midwest. A perennial, it has velvety, heart-shaped leaves, has a gingery smell, and is also known as Canadian snakeroot. It has long been used in herbal medicine, but one of its ingredients has recently been the subject of health warnings and consumer safety alerts by the FDA and Health Canada.

  1. Herbal Uses

    • Native American tribes used Canadian wild ginger to treat a variety of ailments, from colds and stomach ache to heart trouble and urinary disorders. It also was used to flavor beef or catfish. Similar herbs were used in China for diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties.

    Aristolochic Acid

    • Aristolochic acid, an ingredient in several herbal remedies, is "a naturally occurring toxin that can cause cancer, cell mutation and kidney failure in humans," according to Health Canada, which issued a consumer alert in 2005 advising people not to use any products containing it. Natural herbs that contain aristolochic acid, Health Canada said, include "Aristolochia (birthwort, Virginia snakeroot), Asarum (wild ginger -- unrelated to common ginger, and its synonym Hexastylis), and Bragantia (also known as Apama or Thottea)." The U.S. Food and Drug Association issued an alert in 2001 telling consumers to stop using the products because two patients in the United Kingdom acquired kidney damage after using botanical products containing aristolochic acid.

    'Probable Human Cancer Hazard'

    • In a study on rats in Surrey, England, in 2002, scientists led by V.M. Arlt found "significant evidence" that aristolochic acid "is a powerful nephrotoxic and carcinogenic substance with an extremely short latency period, not only in animals but also in humans." The study recommended a worldwide ban on products containing the substance.

    The Follow-Up

    • As a part of its consumer alert, the FDA published a list of botanicals thought to contain aristolochic acid, including Asarum canadense. In 2003, a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine reported that after the alert, many of the products were still for sale on the Internet. As of time of publication, aristolochic acid is still advertised for sale.

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