Toxic tea from Chinatown shop in SF sends 2 to hospital 
 
 Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 A woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s became sick within an hour of sipping a tea made from leaves sold by the Sun Wing Wo Trading Co., an herbalist at 1105 Grant Ave. A woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s became sick within an hour of sipping a tea made from leaves sold by the Sun Wing Wo Trading Co., an herbalist at 1105 Grant Ave. Photo: Google Maps Toxic tea from Chinatown shop in SF sends 2 to hospital 1 / 1 Back to Gallery 
 
 Two people are critically ill and remain hospitalized after consuming a toxic herbal tea bought on Grant Avenue in Chinatown, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 
 
 In separate incidents in February and March, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s became sick within an hour of sipping a tea made from leaves sold by the Sun Wing Wo Trading Co., an herbalist at 1105 Grant Ave. 
 
 Both victims rapidly developed weakness, followed by life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms that required resuscitation and intensive hospital care. A plant-based toxin, aconite, was found in lab tests of the patients and the tea samples they provided. 
 
 Inspectors from the city’s health department are removing the products consumed by the two patients from the shelves at Sun Wing Wo Trading Co. The health department is also working with the shop owner to trace the source of the contamination and ensure that no future customers are exposed to it. 
 
 “Anyone who has purchased tea from this location should not consume it and should throw it away immediately,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, health officer for the city. “Aconite poisoning attacks the heart and can be lethal.” 
 
 Known to treat pains, bruises and other conditions, aconite — also called called monkshood, helmet flower, wolfsbane, chuanwu, caowu and fuzi — has been used in Asian herbal medicine for thousands of years. While the plant’s raw flowers are highly toxic in their natural state, once properly processed, they can be safely consumed. There is no antidote for aconite poisoning. 
 
 While people who have purchased and consumed the tea without experiencing symptoms are safe, they should stop consuming it, according to health officials. Anyone who experiences symptoms after consuming the tea should call 911 or go immediately to the nearest hospital. Symptoms usually begin within a few minutes or up to a couple hours and can include: numbness or tingling of the face, mouth or limbs; weakness in the limbs; paralysis; low blood pressure; chest pain; palpitations; nausea and diarrhea. 
 
 The connection to the Sun Wing Wo Trading Co. emerged after both cases were referred to the California Poison Control System at San Francisco General Hospital. 
 
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 “The investigation is just starting, but we know that the tea in both instances came from the same place,” said Rachael Kagan, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. “And in each instance the person had drank the tea recently.” 
 
 A woman who answered the phone at the herbal shop said she could not comment. 
 
 J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen ||||| Tea containing Aconite, a plant-based lethal poison. (SFPD Photo) 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Two people became critically ill after drinking herbal tea that was purchased at a San Francisco Chinatown store, officials with the San Francisco Public Health Department said Friday. 
 
 The victims, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s, both were hospitalized in separate incidents that occurred in February and March, according to health officials. 
 
 The tea was made from leaves purchased at the Chinatown business Sun Wing Wo Trading Company, located at 1105 Grant Avenue. 
 
 Within an hour of drinking the tea, the victims suffered from weakness and life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, requiring resuscitation and intensive hospital care. 
 
 Lab tests found that the tea contained Aconite, a plant-based lethal poison, health officials said. 
 
 Health department officials have removed the product from the store’s shelves and are working with the store’s owner to trace the source of contamination. 
 
 “Anyone who purchased tea from this location should not consume it and should throw it away immediately,” San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Thomas Aragon, MD said in a statement. “Aconite poisoning attacks the heart and can be lethal.” 
 
 Individuals who consumed the tea and have not had any symptoms are safe, but should not consume it anymore. Anyone who experiences symptoms from the tea should call 911 or go the nearest hospital immediately, health officials said. 
 
 Symptoms can take over within a few minutes or a couple of hours and can depend on the amount consumed, according to health officials. 
 
 Symptoms include sensory abnormalities such as numbness or tingling of the face, mouth or limbs, weakness in the limbs and paralysis. Cardiovascular abnormalities such as low blood pressure, palpitations, chest pains, slow or fast heartbeats, as well as irregular heartbeats, which can lead to sudden death, may also be experienced, in addition to gastrointestinal abnormalities, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. 
 
 There is no antidote for Aconite poisoning, according to health officials. 
 
 Aconite is also called monkshood, helmet flower, wolfsbane, “chuanwu,” “caowu,” and “fuzi,” and is used as a remedy in Asian herbal medicine for bruises, pain and other conditions. Raw aconite roots are generally toxic but may used after adequate processing, health officials said. 
 
 © Copyright 2017 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed ||||| SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Two people have been poisoned after drinking herbal tea in San Francisco, according to the Department of Public Health. 
 
 The residents are critically ill and are hospitalized, officials said. The tea contained Aconite, a lethal poison. 
 
 “In separate incidents in February and March, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s became critically ill within an hour of drinking tea made from leaves supplied by the same San Francisco herbalist. Each quickly developed weakness, and then life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, requiring resuscitation and intensive hospital care. A plant-based toxin, Aconite, was found in lab tests of the patients and the tea samples they provided,” health officials said in a press release. 
 
 The tea leaves were bought at the Sun Wing Wo Trading Company, located at 1105 Grant Avenue, in Chinatown, officials said. Health inspectors are removing the two products from the shelves. 
 
 “Anyone who has purchased tea from this location should not consume it and should throw it away immediately,” Health Officer for the City & County of San Francisco Dr. Tomás Aragón said. “Aconite poisoning attacks the heart and can be lethal.” 
 
 If you bought the tea, drank it, and did not feel symptoms, health officials are still urging you to stop drinking it. 
 
 Here are a few symptoms: 
 
 sensory abnormalities numbness or tingling of the face, mouth or limbs weakness in the limbs paralysis 
 
 cardiovascular abnormalities dangerously low blood pressure palpitations chest pain slow or fast heart beat irregular heartbeats that can lead to sudden death 
 
 gastrointestinal abnormalities nausea, vomiting abdominal pain diarrhea 
 
 
 
 There is no antidote for the poison, officials said. 
 
 Aconite is commonly called monkshood, helmet flower, wolfsbane, chuanwu, caowu, and fuzi. It is used in Asian herbal medicine to treat pains, bruises, and other conditions. 
 
 “Raw Aconite roots, leaves and flowers are generally toxic but are used only after adequate processing,” officials said. 
 
 Stay with KRON4 for updates on this breaking news story on-air, online, and on the KRON4 app.
– Two people had to be resuscitated and are now seriously ill in the hospital after drinking toxic tea purchased in San Francisco's Chinatown, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The tea, made from leaves purchased at the Sun Wing Wo Trading Co., was found to contain aconite, a plant-based toxin also known as wolfsbane and monkshood. Aconite has been used for thousands of years to treat pain and other maladies but must be properly prepared in order to be safe to drink. There's no antidote to aconite poisoning, which can be fatal, according to CBS San Francisco. KRON has a list of symptoms, including low blood pressure, nausea, and numbness of the face or limbs. The two people who fell ill in San Francisco—a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s—bought the tea on separate occasions in February and March. Within an hour of drinking the toxic tea, they became weak and began having abnormal heart rhythms that were life-threatening. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has ensured that the tea leaves are no longer for sale at Sun Wing Wo and is working with the trading company to figure out where the aconite came from. (A teen who bought tea onlne to lose weight ended up with hepatitis.)