In addition to our ongoing investigation and commencement of lawsuits against 1906 for their Midnight Drops containing the herb corydalis, Thornton Law Firm is also investigating many new instances of customers who had severe liver-related side effects from taking 1906 Midnight Drops edibles with another Chinese herb, stephania. 1906 replaced corydalis with stephania in the summer of 2022 and has since claimed that stephania is safer than corydalis and will not cause liver damage in customers who take 1906 Midnight Drops.
However, both the scientific literature on stephania and the continued complaints from customers who bought Midnight Drops edibles with stephania suggest otherwise. For example, studies published by experts in Chinese herbal medicine consistently have shown that “[t]here are published reports that stephania tetrandra has toxic effects in the kidneys and liver” (Jang, Y., Liu, M., Liu, H. et al. “A critical review: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Stephania tetrandra,” (Phytochem Rev 19, 449–489 (2020)) and that “stephania tetrandra can induce the renal and liver lesion and its seriousness is correspondent to the lasting of administration. The liver and kidney toxicity of stephania tetrandra are all more serious” than other Chinese herbs studied. (Liang Q, “Comparative study on metabonomics and on liver and kidney toxicity of Aristolochia fangchi and Stephania tetrandra,” China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica. 2010.)
Customers who purchased 1906 Midnight Drops containing stephania have also been hospitalized with AST/ALT liver enzyme levels anywhere from tens to thousands of times above normal and have complained of symptoms including fevers, rashes, nausea, dark urine, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and lethargy—symptoms nearly identical to those who took Midnight Drops edibles with corydalis.
1906 claims to have placed a “warning” on their Midnight Drops edibles containing stephania. Yet, the statement fails to alert users of Midnight Drops to the dangerous side effect known to 1906 but not the general public: severe liver damage. As a result, customers who suffered the severe and potentially life-threatening adverse effects described above had no way to know, and continue to be unaware, that their illness and injury was related to their purchase and use of Midnight Drops. 1906 has refused to take Midnight Drops off the shelves and instead has insisted that stephania is safe despite not having completed any internal toxicity study.
Thornton Law Firm has represented thousands of persons exposed to toxic substances since its founding in 1978. For five decades, the firm has served those injured by harmful exposure to chemicals, pesticides, asbestos, lead paint, PFAS, and cigarettes. In addition to representing those suffering personal injuries as a result of their exposures, Thornton Law Firm leads groundbreaking litigation on behalf of children born with severe birth defects as a result of their parents’ toxic exposures. The firm’s long experience representing victims of toxic exposures has given our lawyers invaluable insight into the key aspects of each toxic case, including exposure and causation, and helped us build relationships with leading medical experts in these areas. If you or someone you know purchased 1906 Midnight Drops edibles with stephania and suffered liver damage as a result, please contact the Thornton Law Firm at 888-491-9726 to speak to attorneys Evan R. Hoffman or Leah M. McMorris about a potential case. You can also reach us by sending us a message through this website.
