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To the Editor: A 30-year-old Chinese-American woman presented to the University of Colorado Allergy and Immunology Clinic with acute urticaria. As there was no clear precipitating event, hydroxyzine was prescribed, and she was advised to call if the medication was inadequate or if the urticaria persisted. Several weeks later, she called to report that the hydroxyzine had worked but it lasted only a short time whereas a "Chinese" medicine purchased over the counter at a local Chinese pharmacy had "lasted much longer."

The frequent use of unconventional therapies by patients seen by allopathic physicians is well documented,¹ so it was not surprising that this patient had taken an alternative medication. She was asked to bring a sample of this product (which was presumed to be a formulation of Chinese herbs) to her next visit. As shown in the accompanying photograph (Figure 1), the patient's "Chinese" medicine turned out . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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