Congressman's Wife's Death Tied to Herbal Supplement

Coroner's report links Lori McClintock's death to white mulberry leaf
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2022 1:13 PM CDT
Congressman's Wife's Death Tied to Herbal Supplement
White mulberry leaves.   (Getty Images / claudiodivizia)

The death of a California congressman's wife has been attributed to a plant. Lori McClintock, the wife of US Rep. Tom McClintock, died in December 2021, after the Republican discovered his wife unresponsive in their home; she had complained of an upset stomach the day prior. Kaiser Health News recently obtained a copy of the Sacramento County coroner's report, which was completed in March, and reports the 61-year-old died from dehydration caused by gastroenteritis (stomach and intestinal inflammation) brought on by "adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion." The plant is used as an herbal remedy for things like obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol and is generally regarded as safe (the Los Angeles Times lists vomiting and diarrhea as side effects).

The autopsy report, also obtained by KHN, says a "partially intact" white mulberry leaf was found in McClintock's stomach. The Sacramento Bee notes the report does not state whether she ingested it in pill, whole leaf, tea, or extract form. KHN reports the finding shines a light on the very lightly regulated $54 billion dietary supplement and herbal remedy market, and details some lawmakers' efforts to increase government oversight. But it also shares some skepticism around the finding, which comes from Daniel Fabricant, who had dietary supplements under his purview while at the FDA during the Obama administration. “It’s completely speculative," he says. "There’s a science to this. It’s not just what a coroner feels."

Fabricant continues, "People unfortunately pass from dehydration every day, and there’s a lot of different reasons and a lot of different causes.” As for how many others have died from ingesting white mulberry leaf, the number could be close to zero, at least in the US in the past decade: Poison control officials have no records of deaths from the plant in the last 10 years. (More herbal supplements stories.)

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