Advisory issued on mahogany seeds
SINGAPORE: There have been seven cases of liver injury
reported in recent years that are suspected to be linked to eating mahogany
seeds, which are more commonly known as sky fruit.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it received
these reports over the past three years, where patients had liver injuries
ranging from mild liver function impairment to liver failure.
These seven patients, who are in their 40s to 70s, had
eaten the mahogany seeds in both raw form and in capsules. Five of them were
hospitalised, HSA said in a public advisory yesterday.
Apart from liver injuries, a patient had kidney
injuries and another had polyarthralgia, which is multiple joint aches and
pain.
HSA said that all patients were reported to have
recovered or are recovering from their ailments, after they stopped taking the
suspected products.
The fruit of the mahogany seeds is commonly known as
sky fruit, or buah tunjuk langit in Malay and xiang tian guo in Chinese.
It is traditionally used in South-East Asian countries
to help control blood sugar and high blood pressure.
However, HSA said that there are no clinical studies
in humans supporting its effectiveness or safety.
The patients had eaten the mahogany seeds to control
their blood sugar or blood pressure, or for general well-being, the authority
added.
Five of the patients ate the seeds in their raw form –
between 10 seeds a month and 18 seeds a day – after buying them from different
sources in Singapore and Malaysia.
One had taken the capsules intermittently, and the
other ate two capsules twice a day.
One product, which was bought from a blogshop in
Singapore, was labelled “Natural Miracle Healer”, while the other was an
unknown brand from Malaysia.
HSA said that most of the patients had underlying
medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia (high
blood cholesterol) and fatty liver. They were taking other medications
concurrently.
Six patients experienced liver injury 30 to 45 days
after eating the mahogany seeds. The remaining patient had liver injury after
six months.
While there is no scientific data on the risk of liver
injury from taking mahogany seeds, HSA advised consumers who are thinking of
taking the products to exercise caution.
“HSA will continue to closely monitor the situation
and update the public of any significant findings,” it said.
It added that consumers should take note of the
following:
> Be aware that local cases of liver injury have
been reported in some individuals following the consumption of mahogany seeds.
> Consult a doctor as soon as possible if you feel
unwell or develop any of the following signs and symptoms of liver injury when
taking mahogany seeds: nausea, loss of appetite, lethargy, dark urine, the
whites of the eyes turning yellow or jaundice.
> Consult your doctor if you would like to try a
new or complementary remedy that claims to alleviate certain medical
conditions, especially for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
— The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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