Telangana woman critical after switching to ‘herbal remedy’; stopped epilepsy medication

Hyderabad: A 40-year-old woman from Warangal, who was battling epilepsy, fell ill after using a ‘herbal remedy'. While she was managing her epilepsy with allopathic treatment, she stopped taking the medicine and switched to the herbal remedy after a woman approached her a week ago, claiming that a 15-day course of her ‘herbal remedy' would eliminate the need for lifelong medication.

The victim, M Yadalakshmi, paid 3,000 for the herbal preparation, stopped taking her prescribed allopathic medicine, and consumed the herbal preparation as directed. She was found unconscious in her home by family members on Dec 19 and was rushed to the MGM Hospital, Warangal.

On assessment, the team of doctors found that her epilepsy condition had worsened. The incident came to light on Wednesday when the family approached the local Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) members for support.

"A team of specialists at the hospital diagnosed the return of severe epilepsy, exacerbated by kidney and liver damage caused by the unverified herbal medicine. Despite ongoing intensive care, her condition further deteriorated on Thursday, and she was put on dialysis. She is extremely critical now," said Dr Naresh Kumar from the Telangana Medical Council (TGMC). The woman was staying with her 14-year-old son in Bojjeru village of Warangal and had other relatives staying nearby.

Members of the TGMC conducted an inquiry based on the complaint of the victim's relatives. "In collaboration with Warangal Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association, our team inspected the hospital and collected samples of the alleged herbal medicine for laboratory testing," added Dr Kumar.