The Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration Bureau (ISAF) said in a statement yesterday that the total amounts of aflatoxin* and aflatoxin B1 in Chinese herbal decoction pieces of “honeycomb” imported from Hong Kong in lot 230228, were found not to meet the legal quality standard.
The statement underlined that the bureau is recalling the problematic product supplied to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies, adding that the supplier of the Chinese herbal slices voluntarily recalled the affected batch exported to Macau.
According to the statement, “honeycomb” belongs to non-prescription TCM materials in Macau. It is the nest of a cosmopolitan family of wasps – Polishes olivaceus, Polistes japonicus or Parapolybia, and its functions are to attack and kill insects and to “dispel wind”** and relieve pain.
In the statement, members of the public who are in possession of the product are urged to make enquiries with their TCM pharmacies on how to handle it.
The statement reaffirmed that all local TCM pharmacies have been ordered to stop selling the product.
Enquiries can be made by calling 8598 3533 during office hours.
*Aflatoxins are various poisonous carcinogens and mutagens that are produced by certain moulds. – Source: Wikipedia
**TCM considers wind as a pathological factor. Wind invades the body from outside when vital energy (Qi) loses the ability to protect the body. – Source: meer
This undated handout photo provided by the Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration Bureau (ISAF) yesterday shows Chinese herbal decoction piece of “honeycomb”.
