Chinese Medicine has been practiced for 5,000 years with over 100,000 medicinal products. With the advent of pesticides in modern agriculture there is a question. Does Chinese Herbal medicine do more harm than good.
Greenpeace did a study testing 65 popular herbs at nine pharmacies in nine different cities. Forty eight of the herbs tested positive for pesticide residue. Twenty six residues were for a pesticide banned in China. Some of these are classified as extremely dangerous by the World Health Organization. The study found one pesticide residue that was 500 times over the European Union’s maximum.
China’s farmers use nearly two million tons of pesticides each year. According to the Greenpeace study only 30% is utilized ,the rest turns into hazardous soil, water and air pollution.
Health implications from long-term exposure to toxic pesticide levels may include learning difficulties, hormone disruption and reproductive abnormalities, Greenpeace said.
For more information “Chinese Herbs: Elixir of Health or Pesticide Cocktail?”
Source Food Safety News
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