The Second Aristolochic Acid Case in Belgium - Why Were Chinese Herbs Blamed?

This article describes a recent case in Belgium where a Chinese medicine practitioner was found guilty of causing irreversible kidney disease after prescribing herbal medicine allegedly containing aristolochic acid (AA), and sentenced to jail. However, with support from Chinese medicine practitioners across the world, a legal challenge showed that the herbs prescribed did not actually contain any AA and the practitioner was exonerated. The article discusses why this and other cases of Chinese herbal medicine have been widely reported in the media, whereas the huge benefits of Chinese medicine treatment are rarely mentioned.