Doctors warn of risks when using 'miracle drug' mu tun

Poisoning by black locust can lead to death.

On July 14, Quy Chau District Medical Center received a patient who was poisoned by drinking water boiled from the plant.fromThe patient is Mr. Lim Van X., residing in Ke Ninh village, Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district.

According to information from his family, patient Lim Van X. has been suffering from bone and joint pain for a long time. For the past week, the patient has been boiling fresh mú tun plant to drink to cure the disease. At 1:20 a.m. on July 14, patient Lim Van X. woke up from his sleep, started talking nonsense, and then became restless, had a psychotic attack, and was agitated.

Previously, on June 25, also in Quy Chau district, a case of mú tun poisoning also occurred. Accordingly, after coming home from work, Ms. Vi Thi X. - wife of Mr. Vi Van T. (residing in Xang Coc village, Chau Binh commune) took dried mú tun, boiled it with 2 liters of water and both husband and wife drank it. After drinking for about 10 hours, both husband and wife experienced symptoms of headache, dizziness, nausea, and unsteady walking...

On the morning of June 26, Mr. Vi Van T. and his wife were taken to the emergency room at Quy Chau District Medical Center by their family. After being cared for and treated by doctors, the above symptoms of the couple have decreased. However, due to drinking too much, the wife is still in a state of psychosis and cannot control her behavior. Quy Chau Medical Center has transferred this patient to Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital for further treatment.

The scientific name of the tree is Rourea oligophlebia Merr, belonging to the family of star fruit. In Vietnam, the tree grows in some mountainous areas of Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue provinces. According to folklore, the tree is a medicinal herb, used to treat a number of diseases: bone and joint pain, erectile dysfunction, enhance digestion, stop bleeding...

Some scientific studies have shown that: In the mu tun plant, there are many different active ingredients such as: Neral (antibacterial), Nerolidol (prevents cancer cell growth), Spathulenol (antioxidant and helps improve iodine absorption in the thyroid gland), Rourea Minor (releases insulin and lowers blood sugar)... However, not all substances are beneficial to health. With the Spathoulenol substance in the mu tun plant, if absorbed into the body, it will cause damage to the five internal organs.

In addition, in the roots of the plant, scientists also found Salicylate. This is a pain reliever found in many natural herbs, which can be used to treat pain, however, it has certain toxicity if the dosage and usage are not properly controlled. Salicylate poisoning can lead to serious health consequences.

Although there are no specific statistics, the reality shows that every year in Nghe An, there are many cases of mú từn poisoning. At the Anti-Poison Department of Nghe An General Hospital, not counting the cases of mass poisoning with many people, each month there are about 15 - 20 cases of single poisoning coming here for treatment. Of which, poisoning from medicinal wine (plants of unknown origin or mú từn) accounts for the majority.

Master, Doctor Nguyen Van Thuy - Head of the Poison Control Department said: Mu Tun poisoning is similar to Ethanol poisoning, causing many mental and physical disorders. Patients experience dizziness, nausea, tinnitus, convulsions, coma, high blood pressure, brain damage and kidney damage, and are very susceptible to death... At the hospital, there have been cases of very severe mu Tun poisoning, forced to be transferred to a higher level but still brain dead.

According to the Thai ethnic language, “mú từn tree” means “crazy pig tree”. The Thai village elders and chiefs shared: The reason for this special name is because in the past, when the villagers saw pigs eating this type of tree, they were strongly stimulated, constantly breaking out of their pens to run around and demand mating. Seeing that this type of tree had an effect on animals, the villagers tried soaking the stem and roots of this tree in wine and drinking it, and it really had the effect of enhancing physiology.

Be careful with the "double-edged sword"

Folk experience and scientific research have shown that mu tun is a valuable medicinal herb. However, this medicinal herb contains certain toxic substances. If used incorrectly or in excess, it will cause poisoning and seriously affect health.

Physician Nguyen Thanh Nhan - Chairman of the Oriental Medicine Association of Cua Lo town, who directly "tested" the effects of the plant on himself, said: A long time ago, I bought dried stems and roots of the plant to soak in wine. Using this wine, I found that it had many good effects such as enhancing physiological health, reducing bone and joint pain...

When I bought it, the seller told me that the mu tun should only be soaked in alcohol, not boiled and drunk. However, I thought that if this medicinal herb soaked in alcohol had such a good effect, then boiling it and drinking it would have a more direct effect, so I tried boiling it and drinking it and only used a small cup each day. However, after 5-6 days of use, I experienced symptoms of mu tun poisoning such as high blood pressure, paranoia, neurological disorders, and movement disorders. I myself had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment.

After this extremely dangerous "experiment", physician Nguyen Thanh Nhan was very cautious in using mu tun as well as selling this medicinal herb to those in need.

Specialist II Doctor Bui Thanh Hai - Nghe An Oriental Medicine Association said: The mú từn plant is found quite a lot in the mountainous region of Northwest Nghe An. Up to now, apart from a few small studies analyzing the chemical active ingredients, there has been no research on its medicinal properties. Therefore, advice or recommendations on whether or not to use this plant are completely unfounded. The attitude needed to behave towards the mú từn plant is to think very carefully about the possible risks.

People need to be aware that any herb is a double-edged sword. It will be very good if used correctly, in the right dosage; it will be very harmful if used incorrectly, overdosed or abused... Currently, people have a common tendency to use herbs to soak in alcohol for massage or drinking. Many people use herbs but do not have much knowledge about herbs, they only "heard that they are good" or only know the benefits of them without knowing the side effects. To ensure safety when using herbs, people need to consult and have advice from doctors and physicians.

Specialist II Doctor Bui Thanh Hai also stated: If we use soaked wine in general and mu tun wine in particular carelessly and comfortably, "drinking to death", it is very easy to cause poisoning, affecting the health and life of ourselves and our loved ones./.