Nine bacterial and fungal contaminated herbal products and teas

Foreign Product Alert
2008-12
January 28, 2008
For immediate release

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use the products specified below due to concerns about possible side-effects. More info

Date of alert: January 28, 2007
Source of Alert: Health Sciences Authority of Singapore
Product Name:

• ZhenZhu HouFengSan Penji (batch number 00790406)
• Vyling Cornu Saigae Tataricae Cooling Tea (batch number 01000806C)
• Natorny Kwek's Herb 106 (batch number 106600603A)
• Chinese Herbal Heritage Herbal Slimming Tea (batch number 131703)
• Vyling Urticaria Itch-Killer A (batch number 01500306A)
• Vyling Water-Melon Pearls Powder (batch number 01020406C)
• Phoenix Brand Tea For Sore Throat And Fever (batch number 01760805)
• Qing Yin Bai Hua Tea (batch number 01530806)
• Yinqiao Flu & Fever Tea (batch number 00590806)

Manufacturer / Place of Origin

• ZhenZhu HouFengSan Penji and Phoenix Brand Tea For Sore Throat And Feverare manufactured by Kim Sin Medication Supply and Far Si Tar Trading / Singapore
• Vyling Cornu Saigae Tataricae Cooling Tea is manufactured by Kim Sin Medication Supply and Di Teck Cheng Trading / Singapore
• Natorny Kwek's Herb 106 is manufactured by Natorny Marketing Asia Pte Ltd. / Singapore
• Chinese Herbal Heritage Herbal Slimming Tea is manufactured by Kang Sheng Chinese Medicine Manufacturer and HST Medical Ltd. / Singapore
• Vyling Urticaria Itch-Killer A and Vyling Water-Melon Pearls Powder are manufactured by Kim Sin Medication Supply and Di Teck Cheng Trading / Singapore
• Qing Yin Bai Hua Tea and Yinqiao Flu & Fever Tea are manufactured by Kim Sin Medication Supply and Central Chemical & Enterprises Ltd. / Singapore

Product Description

• ZhenZhu HouFengSan Penji is promoted for throat irritation. It is packaged in bottles with 2 grams per bottle.
• Vyling Cornu Saigae Tataricae Cooling Tea is promoted for sore throat, fever and cold. It comes in a box with two 8-gram packages.
• Natorny Kwek's Herb 106 is packaged in bottle with 50 grams per bottle.
• Chinese Herbal Heritage Herbal Slimming Tea is promoted for weight loss and comes in a box of 20 bags with 2 grams per box.
• Vyling Urticaria Itch-Killer A is promoted for skin irritation. It comes in pill form and packaged in a bottle of 100 per bottle.
• Vyling Water-Melon Pearls Powder comes in a bottle with 2 grams per bottle.
• Phoenix Brand Tea For Sore Throat And Fever is promoted for sore throat and fever and is packaged in a box containing 2 bags, 7 grams per box.
• Qing Yin Bai Hua Tea is promoted for throat irritation and is packaged as 2 bags with 7 grams per box.
• Yinqiao Flu & Fever Tea is promoted for flu and fever and is packaged in 1 bag with 7 grams per box.

Reason for Warning
The Health Sciences Authority of Singapore advised the public not to purchase or consume nine specific batches of these Chinese medicines and herbal teas, due to microbial (bacterial) and/or yeast and mould contamination.

Possible Side Effects
Exposure to products contaminated with bacteria, mould and/or yeast can pose a risk to human health and may cause a variety of adverse effects, including bacterial infection. Groups particularly at risk of adverse health effects include infants and young children, due to their immature immune systems. Other at-risk groups include pregnant/nursing women, the elderly or persons with weak immune systems.

Consumers exposed to microbial contamination may experience various symptoms including allergic reactions, inflammation and infection.

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Media Inquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983

For more details on these Foreign Product Alerts, please visit the Health Canada Web site.

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This product is not authorized for sale in Canada and has not been found in the Canadian marketplace. However, it is possible this product could be purchased by Canadians travelling abroad or has been brought into Canada through personal importation by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Canadians who have this product are advised not to use it, and should consult with a health care professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of this product.

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have either an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find any of the products listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

For more information about the information contained in this advisory, please contact Health Canada's public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991 or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.

As of the date of this posting, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this product have been reported in Canada.