Lead and drugs found in herbal supplements, says Health Canada

Health Canada is warning consumers off Chinese herbal supplements found to contain a range of contaminants by the Hong Kong Department of Health.

Three of the supplements are marketed as erectile dysfunction supplements. Man Power was found to contain the pharmaceutical, tadalafil; Lin Yan Yin Chiao was found to contain chlorpheniramine and paracetamol and Bao Shu Tang Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan was found to contain excessive levels of lead.

Health Canada said none of the products are authorized for sale in Canada but could have been purchased via the internet or brought into the country by travellers.

The other was a weight loss product called Slim-30 that was adulterated with sibutramine and which its maker, Duxx Enterprises Inc, has voluntarily withdrawn.

Last week the Hong Kong Department of Health issued a public warning against a weight loss product called LAMI that was found to contain sibutramine and spironolactone.