A White Mulberry Leaf Fatality: Re-examining a Venerable Herb in Light of a High-Profile Event

In December 2021, the wife of California Congressman Tom McClintock died unexpectedly. The Sacramento coroner’s findings eventually attributed Lori McClintock’s cause of death to the consumption of white mulberry leaf (Sang Ye, Morus alba L.), a botanical with a long history of human consumption and few adverse effects. The case circulated through news media and continues to spark intrigue in the natural medicines industry and healing arts. The present paper examines the unusual findings of the coroner’s office and offers an indepth analysis of the botanical substance in question from both traditional and modern perspectives, ultimately highlighting white mulberry leaf’s usefulness and tolerability as a medicinal.