999 Radix Notoginseng, Batch no. 0807021

Foreign Product Alert
2009-28
February 25, 2009
For immediate release

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

Date of alert: February 25, 2009
Source of Alert: Singapore Health Sciences Authority
Product Names: 999 Radix Notoginseng, Batch no. 0807021
Manufacturer / Place of Origin: Sanji Medical & Pharmaceutical Co Ltd / China

Product Description
999 Radix Notoginseng comes as a powder in 2g bags. The product's specific use, or indication, is unknown.

Reason for Warning
The Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) recalled batch# 0807021 of the product 999 Radix Notoginseng after it was found to contain arsenic at levels above the acceptable limit outlined in the HSA's Health Supplements Guidelines.

Ingestion of excessive amounts of arsenic, a heavy metal, poses serious health risks because it may accumulate in vital organs of the body. Children are most susceptible to the toxic effects of heavy metals.

Possible Side-Effects
The toxic effects of arsenic include skin and lung cancers, heart and lung diseases, and brain damage.

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Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983

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

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These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country 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 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.