Many Traditional Chinese Herbs Contain Pesticides: Greenpeace Report

Many herbs in China contain pesticides above safety levels, according to an investigation by Greenpeace.

Herbs are used extensively in many Chinese homes for everyday cooking. Recently, there has also been an increase in the number of Americans using these herbs. It is estimated that market value of traditional Chinese herbal products around the world is around US$ 60 billion.

However, a study by the Greenpeace East Asia called 'Chinese Herbs: Elixir of Health or Pesticides Cocktail?,' has shown the prevalence of pesticides in these products.

The agency analyzed about 65 samples of Chinese herbal products and found that they contained dangerous pesticides. About 26 samples had chemicals that are banned in China.

The report shows that many herbs are no longer picked from forests but are cultivated using agricultural methods that depend heavily on chemicals.

Some herbal product samples had high levels of toxic substances, much higher than those accepted by European food safety standards. Long-term exposure to these chemicals has been linked with developmental problems, hormonal imbalances and abnormalities in reproduction.

"These test results expose the cracks in the current industrial agriculture system that is heavily reliant on toxic chemicals at the expense of human and environmental health," said Greenpeace ecological farming campaigner Jing Wang, according to Medical Xpress. "Chinese herbs are trusted and used as food ingredients for healing purposes by millions of people around the world. They are an iconic part of our heritage we must preserve. Chinese herbs should heal, not harm people and must be pesticide free."

China is currently the leading manufacturer of phosphate fertilizer. The country produces over 300 million tons of a byproduct called phosphogypsum that has dangerous chemicals. Moreover, China has jumped from traditional farming methods to methods that rely on chemicals. The deadly bird flu, earlier this year was also blamed on drastic changes in agricultural methods.