Herbal medicines andveno-occlusive disease inIndia

Summary Sixcasesaredescribed ofveno-occlusive disease (VOD)after medicinal herbingestion. Theherb Heliotropium eichwaldii, taken bythree patients, was foundtocontain thetoxicpyrrolizidine alkaloid, heliotrine. Two patients presented withfulminant hepatic failure while theother fourpatients hada clinical picture suggestive ofdecompensated cirrhosis. Themedical useofthis herbmaypossibly beresponsible forasignificant proportion ofacute andchronic liver disease inIndia, makingitofpublic health