Traditional drugs harming Malaysians

Traditional drugs harming Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Hundreds of brands of unregistered traditional medicines widely available in Malaysia can be deadly because they contain steroids and poison, Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said on Tuesday.

Chua said the threat was very serious since many people take either Malay traditional medicines or imported ones from China, Indonesia and the West.

Chua said spot checks on business premises, clinics and pharmacies last year resulted in the seizure of 720 unregistered products.

Among the scheduled poisons found in traditional medicines are antihistamine, local anesthetic, hormones, lead, mercury, dexamethasone and arsenic, he said.