Herbal slimming aid contains banned

Herbal slimming aid contains banned, Rx drugs: US regulator

(AFP) – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON — The US drug safety watchdog on Thursday warned that a Chinese herbal slimming supplement sold in shops and online contains active drugs not listed on its label, including a stimulant known to cause heart damage.

The weight loss supplement sold under the name Que She and marketed as "an all-natural blend of Chinese herbs" contains not only fenfluramine, a stimulant withdrawn from the US market in 1997 after studies showed it caused serious heart valve damage, but also three other potentially harmful drugs.

The other drugs found in Que She were the beta-blocker propranolol, which can harm people with asthma and certain heart conditions; prescription weight loss drug sibutramine, which has been linked with increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with a history of heart disease; and the stimulant ephedrine.

The drugs in Que She could be dangerous on their own in certain groups of patients, and could "interact with other medications and result in a serious adverse event," the FDA warned, urging anyone who has taken the weight loss supplement to consult a health care professional.

The Diet Spotlight website described Que She as a compound of 11 Chinese herbs that "purportedly helps a person lose weight by suppressing appetite and increasing metabolism."

Several websites that sold the slimming aid had removed Que She from the list of products they sell shortly after the FDA issued its warning on Thursday.

Yuanfen

The Chinese have the word "yuanfen" which more or less translates as "the luck or lot of meeting someone". It usually refers to meeting someone special and how lucky you are to meet that person.

East Earth Trade Winds is now on Facebook

East Earth Trade Winds is now on Facebook. We'll be updating our pages and providing information on different topics.
Please join us and become our Friends!
Go to Facebook and search for East Earth Trade Winds

Here's an interesting article on research conducted on how acupuncture works:

Acupuncture's Molecular Effects

Sterculiae (pang da hai) is used for sore throats, tonsillitis, and more

Sterculiae (pang da hai) is a seed used for sore throats, tonsillitis, hoarseness, and cough. Pictured right is what it looks like in the dried form.

Boil a pot of water, then steep two or three seeds for 10-15 minutes in a cup of hot water. The seed softens and swells into a large gelatinous mass which you see top right. Then drink the tea every four hours. The tea has a mild flavor, so it's perfect for children. The seeds will expand 2-3 times their original size when steeped. Sterculiae is also used for constipation.

WSPA sapm reply from Sherwood Block

Dear East Earth Trade Winds,
Thank you for your reply to my message.I apologize if you are getting unwarranted requests from consumers. Even if I am not your customer, I would hope that an inquiry would be welcomed on this serious issue affecting your industry. As to whether or not I have been duped by the WSPA, how else would this matter be brought to the attention of the public without their help? If you do indeed truly deplore the treatment of bears in traditional Chinese medicine, then I would hope you would welcome an investigation into this matter. Your problem with so called spam mail will go away quickly once you resolve this issue with WSPA.
I might add that it would help if you had something on your website too that indicated that you do NOT use Bear Bile or other products such as Rhinoceros horn or Tiger parts. This is a serious issue for world wild life conservation. You display many products on your website that have no indication what they are made of- what for example is in the Prostate Gland Pills? There is nothing on your site to reassure a consumer that you do not use these products."Traditional Chinese Medicines" are the worst offenders and if you think about it- you should get out ahead of this issue rather than blaming the messenger, because it is a problem. These are endangered species.
As a concerned consumer I do not buy products that test on animals or use animal parts, most especially those species that are endangered. I do not buy products that do not guarantee their ingredients. So until I have that guarantee, it is true, I will not be your customer
Thank you
Sherwood Brock

My reply:

Dear Mr. Brock,
I have been well aware of this problem since I started studying Chinese medicine in the early 1980's. It is not news to me nor my real customers. As I mentioned before we don't sell or advocate the use of these products. Had the WSPA made even a small effort to contact me then they would not have put my company name on the spam list. However, their method is like setting a trap for a wild animal - they don't care who or what gets caught in it as long as they get their message out. It's shameful.
Had you or everyone else who spams me actually been a customer or potential customer it wouldn't be a problem but when I get hundreds of identical letters from people claiming to be customers you should be able to see the problem.
By the way, I have sent letters to the WSPA over six months ago and they don't reply. I suggest you see if you can get an answer from them on who chose companies to get spammed and what research they did to put them on their list.

If you are, as you say, a consumer that does not buy products that test on animals or use animal parts then you should be using Chinese medicine. All pharmaceuticals, including OTC's, have been tested on animals. Chinese medicine has been tested on people over thousands of years not on animals.

Sincerely,
Michel Czehatowski
EETW

PS: Do you know what makes Cherry Coke red?



Answer: the color in Cherry Coke comes from a crushed insect.

Andie's WSPA Spam reply

Wow, that was an angry letter. I understand that your annoyed but you don't have to be so condescending.
I'm sorry you feel wrongly targeted.
However, I don't see anything about this campaign that specifically targets Asian distributors.
The only people this campaign targets are the suppliers that openly farm bears and the distributors that look the other way.
If your not the latter than it's a huge selling point which you should be taking full advantage of. Getting vocal about the integrity of your products can be a huge market advantage if your not just green-washing.
Your company website makes no claims as to your eco-integrity, nor could I find any reviews of your company or sourcing practices online.
While the endorsement of those authors (which I couldn't readily find) is valid, it's not enough. Specific, verifiable claims about your sourcing and business practice are essential to insuring the integrity of your industry.
As a proprietor of medicinal goods, the ball is in your court to be as thorough & informative as possible. How do you screen suppliers for pesticides, fungicides and ambient chemical content?
Do you work with small or large farmers? What do you know about them?
Do you support suppliers that use Bear Bile -even if you don't stock those specific products?
Why do I have to write you company to get those questions answered?
Why not start a blog or at least and FAQ page to preemptively address these concerns while educating people?

Best Regards,
Andie Oliver

My reply:

Dear Ms. Andie,
If you received hundreds of letters in one day all from people claiming to be your customer but who have never even taken the time to go to your website I'm sure you would be irritated also.

As for getting vocal for marketing purposes, my position is that doing the right thing in life is not something to boast about. Actions speak louder than words. so we just do the right thing. For example, we have been using recycled paper in our catalogs for over 22 years yet we don't advertise it on our catalogs. We just do it.

The problem with the WSPA, as stated in my letter, is that they never contacted me about my company. I am presumed guilty. Furthermore, I answer all these letters personally as I have to defend my credibility.

I would like you to ask the WSPA how companies are put on their list and who verifies that that company has a problem. I suspect they won't answer you (They've ignored me) but if they do answer please forward it to me.

Sincerely,

Michel Czehatowski
EETW