Methemoglobinemia after ingestion of Chinese herbal medicine in a 9-day-old infant.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has long been popular among Chinese people, but it is always difficult for physicians to ascertain the nature and use of different ingredients involved. We report case of a 9-day-old infant who ingested home-made herbal medicine and developed cyanosis with methemoglobinemia. He responded to a single dose of methylene blue therapy. The suspected causative agent identified in the herbal medicine was sulfamethazine. This is the first reported case of methemoglobinemia related to the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the newborn period.