Dongfang Hospital, Second Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 6, District 1, Fangxingyuan, Fangzhuang, Fengtai District, Beijing 100078, China ; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 ; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 11 North East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:871720. doi: 10.1155/2014/871720. Epub 2014 Dec 25.
Rhizoma Coptidis (RC), commonly known as huanglian, is a herb frequently used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescriptions. Known to have "clearing damp-heat, quenching fire and counteracting poison" properties, it was widely used in the Chinese community in Singapore. Berberine, an alkaloid isolated from RC, is known to have a wide array of therapeutic effects including antimicrobial, antineoplastic, and hepatoprotective effects. In 1978, RC was implicated in causing neonatal jaundice (NNJ) and kernicterus in neonates suffering from glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, leading to the banning of RC and berberine in Singapore. More than three decades later, accumulating evidence-based studies pointing to the safety of RC for general public and better understanding of G6PD deficiency, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in Singapore reviewed and lifted the prohibition on RC and berberine, turning a brand new chapter in the history of TCM in Singapore. This paper aims to review the safety of RC and berberine, using the prohibition of use and subsequent lifting of ban on RC and berberine in Singapore as an illustration to highlight the importance of evidence-based studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
黄连（Rhizoma Coptidis），俗称黄连，是一种常用于中药（TCM）处方的草药。众所周知，它具有“清热燥湿，泻火解毒”的特性，在新加坡的华人社区中被广泛使用。从黄连中分离出的生物碱黄连素具有广泛的治疗作用，包括抗菌、抗肿瘤和保肝作用。1978 年，黄连被怀疑导致葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶（G6PD）缺乏症新生儿出现新生儿黄疸（NNJ）和核黄疸，导致黄连和黄连素在新加坡被禁用。三十多年后，越来越多的循证研究表明黄连对普通大众是安全的，并且对 G6PD 缺乏症有了更好的了解，新加坡卫生科学局（HSA）审查并取消了对黄连和黄连素的禁令，为新加坡的中医药历史翻开了崭新的一页。本文旨在回顾黄连和黄连素的安全性，以新加坡黄连的使用禁令和随后的禁令解除为例，强调循证研究在中医药中的重要性。
