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)
