Eighty percent of illegal Chinese medicines were found to contain drugs used in Western medicine. That’s according to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday.
An official with the administration, Chen Hui-fang, said as many as ten drugs were found in some herbal Chinese medicines sold in Taiwan.
"As much as 28.8% of Western medicine found in the Chinese medications contain aphrodisiacs. That was followed by painkillers at 25%, central nervous system stimulants at 10.3% and diuretics at 9.6%," said Chen.
Chen warned against taking Chinese medicine containing aphrodisiacs. She said if taken, those with cardiovascular diseases or those taking nitroglycerin drugs could go into a coma or even shock.
Most illegal Chinese medicines sold in Taiwan are from China. They are sold in places like martial arts parlors, herbal Chinese tea shops or street stalls.