Congressman’s wife died after taking herbal remedy for weight loss, report says

California Rep Tom McClintock said he was ‘devastated’ following December 2021 death

Tom McClintock and his wife, Lori, in 2003 (Getty Images)

The wife of California congressman Tom McClintock reportedly died last year after consuming an herbal remedy for weight loss and diabetes, among other ailments, and which is usually considered safe.

Lori McClintock, 61, was found to have taken white mulberry leaf – the herbal remedy – before her death in December 2021 at the couple’s home in northern California, according to KHN.

Citing the Sacramento County coroner’s report on Thursday, the health news outlet said Ms McClintock died as a result of “adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion”, which caused an inflammation in her stomach and intestines.

That came in addition to dehydration, which was caused by the inflation, otherwise known as gastroenteritis.

As CBS News reported, the coroner’s report was dated 10 March 2020 but was not made public until last month, when the health news website KHN obtained a copy in addition to an updated health certificate.

The original death certificate, which was dated 20 December 2021, had listed Ms McClintock’s cause of death on 15 December 2021 as “pending.” The new death cerificate reflected the coroner’s findings regarding white mulberry leaf, the reports said.

It still remains unclear however if Ms McClintock took the white mulberry leaf via a supplement or by drinking the herbal remedy in a tea, although “partially intact” white mulberry leaf was found in her stomach, the report said.

The findings come months after a bill was introduced in Congress to tighten the law around dietary supplements and herbal remedies, which according to CBS News are worth $54bn annually.

Mr McClintock, who has not spoken publicly about the updated findings into his wife’s death, said in a statement at the time that he and his family were “devastated and our world is shattered.”

The Independent has approached the congressman’s office for comment.