The Emergency Department - Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases received Ms. N.T.S (78 years old, residing in Me Linh commune, Hanoi) in a state of fatigue, with refreshing skin, complete disorders in the blood vessels, and low blood pressure at only 50/30 mmHg. The patient suffered from a severe heart attack due to a severe arrhythmia, after using watermelon - a folk herb with high toxicity if not carefully processed.
Relatives said that the patient had a history of prolonged joint pain and had used this herb 20 years ago, when the pain condition improved. Recently, due to the recurrent pain, she ordered hot pot water lai online, sent from the highlands, with the purpose of cooking drinking water to treat joint pain. Although she was instructed to only use 12 roots/week, she arbitrarily picked 5 roots/time. Just 30 minutes after drinking it, she appeared dizzy, nauseous, vomited, then quickly dropped her blood pressure and had a heart rhythm disturbance.
At the Emergency Department, MSc. Dr. Ninh Thi Ngoc and her team urgently performed intensive resuscitation: infusing shock thuoc, using anti-dystorms, continuously monitoring the peripheral coronary regurgitation of the double - tricuspid regurgitation, while washing the stomach, using activated charcoal and monitoring signs of neurological and cardiovascular poisoning.
Dr. Ngoc said: The main compound in watermelon is aconitin - an extremely toxic alkaloid that can cause cardiopulmonary disturbances, convulsions, loss of consciousness and rapid death. Fortunately, the patient was admitted to the hospital early and treated according to the regimen, so he was out of danger.
After 3 hours of treatment, the blood pressure was stable, the heart rate returned to normal, the patient was alert and contacted well. The patient is currently being closely monitored to prevent the risk of recurrent arrhythmia or late neurological effects, as aconitin toxin can have a long-lasting impact.
The water caltrops (also known as the male head, male coffin) often grow in the northern mountainous areas. In Chinese medicine, it is only used after careful processing and in very small doses. In contrast, fresh tubers contain a very high aconitin content only 2mg can cause arrhythmia, 5mg can cause death, equivalent to a few small tubers.
Doctors recommend absolutely not buy, taste or soak toxic herbs without proper preparation. People should not believe online instructions or pass on word of mouth about "curable foods to treat joint pain". When symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, numbness in the lips, arrhythmia or low blood pressure appear after taking herbal medicine, it is necessary to go to a medical facility immediately for timely treatment.
