A meeting was held Monday by the Food Safety Experts Committee
under the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration to evaluate if
"Tianluxiang" (Sauropus androgynus), a major ingredient
used in soup produced by fast-food giant KFC, was toxic.
Yang Xian, professor of vegetable study with the South China
Agricultural University, said at the meeting that cadmium levels in
the wild herb Sauropus are four times higher than the
national standard, which could have serious pathological effects on
human organs such as the liver, kidney as well as the reproductive
system.
Yang's research report, published last Wednesday, also detailed
how a laboratory mouse died from poisoning after having been fed
the herb for 30 days. In human tests, symptoms of cadmium poisoning
showed after 20 days. The human experiments were fed 150 to 200g of
the herb a day. Fifty-four of them continued to complain of
respiratory difficulties 34-35 days after they stopped taking the
herb.
Although there is no evidence to show that poisoning occurs with
occasional ingestion of the herb,
Sauropus should not be
used as a vegetable, according to experts attending the meeting.
They stressed that the herb should not be eaten on a long-term
basis or regularly.
The experts included professors Chen Yongquan and Yang Xian from
the South China Agricultural University, Prof. Su Yixiang from Sun Yat-sen
University, Dr Chen Dewei from the Guangdong Food and Drug
Administration, and Xiong Xikun from the Toxicology Examination
Office under the Guangdong Center for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Sauropus reportedly gained popularity as a key
ingredient of a weight control method in Taiwan in 1995. About 300
cases of poisoning have been reported. A few deaths were reported,
while many patients developed protracted chronic respiratory
failure. The herb was most commonly consumed as an additive to
fruit juice.
KFC last Friday suspended the sale of a soup made from Sauropus.
KFC announced in a statement that samples of the soup have been
sent for analysis and testing. Sale is suspended until final
official results are received.
KFC first promoted the soup as a "green food" earlier this
year.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan November 2, 2005)
