The young man, Mahmoud Youssef, spent about a month taking “herbal pills” to lose weight, which he bought from a market specialized in selling Chinese products.
During this month, his weight decreased rapidly, which made him very happy with this “magic product,” which achieved his goal of getting rid of obesity.
Faced with this result, he bought packages of this herbal preparation for his wife, so she could lose her excess weight and achieve the slim figure she desired.
Youssef was not satisfied with that, but he presented packages of Chinese medicine to his friend, especially since its price was small and did not exceed 130 dirhams.
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Herbal “medicinal” packages in bright colors are sold in popular markets, grocery stores, and through social media. They are accepted by women seeking to lose weight in search of “fitness,” girls buy them to whiten the face and achieve beauty, men take them in search of “sexual power,” and young men demand them. To build muscle and “bodybuilding”. Preparations whose promoters claim to be 100% natural, but in reality they are mixtures of internationally banned chemicals that cause a long list of chronic and dangerous diseases, such as cancer, kidney failure, hepatitis, skin deformities, and even heart attacks and strokes. It is the “trade of death” that has reached homes through “bag merchants” who roam homes, or sellers who promote their poisons through smart phone applications, or unscrupulous people who sell them in stores and apothecary shops, with full knowledge that they are chemicals that destroy bodies. “Emirates Today” monitored, through this file, the spread of these deadly preparations in the markets, the ease of obtaining them at low prices, and the demand for them from different age groups, without many knowing that they are “buying death.” In the following lines, we will convey governmental and medical warnings about the danger of these products, which are sold in broad daylight, injecting toxins and deadly substances into the bodies of buyers. |
After a short time, the young man noticed that he was suffering from severe heart rhythm disturbances, lost the ability to maintain his balance while walking, and suffered from constant dizziness. Upon seeing a doctor, he discovered that the slimming pills he was taking were “a package of mixed toxins that almost caused him to have a stroke, had it not been for his discovery.” “It’s too early.”
Youssef told Al-Emarat Al-Youm that he lost a lot of weight after taking this Chinese preparation, which made him very happy, but what he did not know was that every time he took a tablet of these pills, he lost a few grams from his body, and was close to suffering a heart attack or stroke that might occur. It ends his life, according to what his doctors revealed.
He recounts, “After I experienced severe heart disorders, I went to a specialist doctor, who discovered that I had high blood pressure, which I had not previously suffered from, and the doctor warned me that my condition was dangerous.”
He goes on to say, “I saw more than one doctor, and they all confirmed that my condition was getting worse, and that my blood pressure was increasing. When a doctor learned that I was taking herbal pills to lose weight, he asked for an examination, and the result came as a surprise: that this herbal preparation is forbidden to be sold and consumed because it contains prohibited chemicals.” “Internationally.”
He continues, “I contacted the Ministry of Health, and learned that the Drug Control Department warned against this herbal product, as it is mixed with highly dangerous substances that threaten heart health and cause stroke.”
Youssef and his wife are currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital, to get rid of the toxins that have seeped into their bodies and are threatening their lives.
Perhaps Youssef is luckier than others, as there are other people who took these preparations and suffered heart attacks, kidney failure, nervous system disorders, stomach and intestinal bleeding, skin burns, and chronic and dangerous diseases from which there is no cure, after they became victims of the “herbal preparations” trade, or more precisely “The trade of death.”
Deadly poisons
Tons of packages of products are sold in Emirati, Gulf and Arab stores and markets, claiming that they are medicinal herbal preparations and pure nutritional supplements, but in reality they are “a mixture of toxins and dangerous chemicals that destroy vital organs and destroy bodies.”
“Emirates Today” obtained documents from major local and international laboratories, reports from the country’s Ministry of Health, and international health bodies, which recorded the testimonies of academics and specialized doctors, all of which stated that the majority of herbal products on the market are “deadly poisons.”
Reports issued by the Ministry of Health revealed that many of these products (mostly Chinese and Asian) contain highly dangerous chemicals, and the Ministry’s laboratory analyzes showed that they are internationally banned substances due to their danger to public health.
According to doctors, these products have caused many users to suffer from a long list of dangerous diseases, including cancer, stroke, kidney failure, strokes, heart disorders, hepatitis, bleeding, hearing loss, and skin rashes.
Although these preparations contain toxic substances, some of which are fatal, the packages of these preparations are sold in grocery stores and popular markets, at low prices, and are consumed by children, young people, and the elderly, without knowing that they are swallowing pills that expose them to death.
A tour of the markets
“Emirates Today” toured more than one market and bought packages of these (herbal) products that claim to reduce weight or increase sexual power. In cooperation with health authorities, some of these products were analyzed and confirmed that they contain prohibited chemicals that cause diseases. Chronic.
In the “Chinese Market” in Dubai, there are many stores that display packages with medical claims, and many of the packages carry phrases in Chinese and Asian languages, which prevents knowing their ingredients and content.
The same thing is repeated in the “Chinese Market” in Ajman. The storefronts are crowded with blue, red and green packages bearing phrases in Chinese and Asian characters, and in front of them stand girls speaking in English mixed with some Arabic words, calling out to shoppers.
One of these girls kept listing many of the advantages of an herbal product, which is presented in small bags and taken as tea, confirming that it reduces more than eight kilograms of weight in less than a month.
She presented another product, explaining that it is effective in achieving sexual potency, and has no side effects. She presented other products that she claimed were useful in treating baldness and hair loss, and lightening the skin, with prices starting from 20 dirhams, and some reaching 150 dirhams.
The saleswoman responded to a question about the presence of any chemicals in these products, categorically denying that any of the packages contained medicinal substances, and went on to explain the content of each package as rare plants with countless benefits, according to Chinese medicine.
The fact, which you will definitely not talk about, is that the Ministry of Health and international pharmaceutical organizations have issued warnings against most of these products that they display and sell to shoppers with misleading information.
The same scenario was repeated in several popular markets, including Naif Market in Dubai, Ajman markets, and perfume shops in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. What is more dangerous is that some of them are sold in grocery stores under residential buildings, so that some people obtain them like any food commodity.
At the doors of homes
The sale of these poisons is not limited to markets and grocery stores, but rather extends to the stage of “bag dealers,” who roam residential buildings, offering these products at low prices.
According to accounts from citizens and residents, girls with Asian appearance knock on doors and offer packages of these products, with misleading phrases, including: “This tea reduces weight in a week,” or that “This cream lightens the skin in 24 hours,” or that “These pills prevent hair loss.” ».
In the face of these false temptations, many people are convinced to buy containers of them, so that these toxins enter homes, and it is later difficult to reach the saleswomen who go to a different area every day.
Social networking
With the increasing interest in social media and smart applications, merchants of toxic herbal preparations have moved in and exploited these means to promote their prohibited trade.
We found a large number of pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, offering to sell medicinal herbal products, and going to great lengths to explain their “magical” benefits.
Promoters publish mobile phone numbers to deliver the product to the home, without mentioning the name of the company responsible for selling these products or the address of its headquarters.
“Emirates Today” went through the experience of buying some of these products promoted as “weight loss,” as we called a phone number published on a page on Facebook called “Buy and Sell in the Emirates,” and this dialogue took place:
■ Editor: Peace be upon you, we want to buy the drug “Natural Max” for weight loss.
■■Seller: Hello, the price of the package is 120 dirhams. How many packages do you want?
■ Editor: Does this medicine reduce a large percentage of weight?
Seller: This is the best medicine for “slimming,” and in less than a month you will lose more than 10 kilograms.
■ Editor: Is it reasonable in one month?!
■■ Seller: This is a proven medicine, and hundreds of people got rid of their huge bodies in weeks.
Editor: Is it normal?
Seller: 100% natural, from herbal plants, which completely eliminates body fat.
■ Editor: Beautiful, I want two packages, at this address (….).
The conversation ended, and the next day the seller arrived at the house in a small private car, and on the back seat were three wooden boxes filled with packages of the product, and it seemed that he was preparing to distribute them to other buyers. He handed us two packages, and received 240 dirhams.
“Emirates Today” contacted the Ministry of Health about this product, and it was a surprise that this product received a warning from the Ministry stating that it “dangers the heart and causes stroke.”
The Ministry reported that it conducted an analysis of the product labeled “herbal,” and the results showed that it is not herbal, but rather adulterated, as it contains a chemical called “sibutramine,” which is not listed on the outer label of the package and is “banned internationally” by the American Drug Administration. Because it causes an increase in blood pressure, raises the pulse rate, and causes a stroke.
Despite the great danger this product contains to health, it is widely sold through modern means of communication, and arrives at the door of the house at a low price.
The poison business is profitable
In order to complete the picture, Emirates Today decided to launch another experiment, selling the same weight loss product through a page on Facebook.
The beginning was the creation of a fake account on the site, in the name of a fake company, and through this account pictures of the “Natural Max” product were displayed, accompanied by statements about its power in eliminating obesity.
We posted the advertisement on more than one free group on Facebook, attaching my phone number, and the price of the package was 150 dirhams.
After a short time, phone calls came in from various emirates of the country, and some from neighboring countries, requesting packages of the lotion, and the largest percentage were from women.
It is noteworthy that everyone who called asked questions about the time it takes for the product to get rid of fat, and many were convinced that they would lose more than 10 kilograms in a month, but no one asked about the ingredients of the product, or whether it is licensed by the Ministry of Health or not!
The calls continued, and the owners were apologized for not delivering the packages, claiming that the existing quantity of the product had run out.
Counting the purchase orders we received, it turns out that we would have earned more than 450 dirhams per hour from trading these poisons.
Chronic diseases and deformities
This widespread spread of herbal preparations mixed with dangerous substances, and the ease of obtaining them, has left victims suffering from chronic diseases, deformities, and damage to vital organs.
Head of the Dermatology Division at the Emirates Medical Association, Dr. Anwar Al Hammadi, revealed that the number of victims of the counterfeit herbal medicine trade is increasing, noting that he receives people affected by the use of these products on a daily basis.
He adds: We receive patients with skin deformities and atrophy, skin rashes, thinning of the skin, infections, and cases of vitiligo, all of whom have fallen victim to medical products sold in markets and over the Internet.
He continued, “Unfortunately, many people buy these products, which their promoters claim are 100% natural, but in reality they contain dangerous substances in high concentrations, especially cortisone, mercury, and lead.”
Al-Hammadi explains that these substances cause dangerous diseases if they leak into the body, including cancerous tumors and skin deformities, and if they are placed near the eyes, they cause severe damage to eyesight.
He continues: Dermatologists are the group that receives the most victims of the trade in fraudulent herbal preparations, as there are many types of creams and pills whose promoters claim that they work to lighten the skin, give freshness to the face, and prevent hair loss, and even claim that they grow hair in cases of baldness.
He pointed out that he receives patients who purchased these products via the “WhatsApp” and “Instagram” applications on phones, and they delivered them to their homes, and after using them, they developed diseases and serious health complications.
He continues that many people fall prey to unscrupulous merchants, who address women with temptations of fitness and skin lightening, and approach men with preparations for sexual potency, and after using them they discover that they have purchased deadly poisons.
Risk of death
Family medicine consultant in Dubai, Dr. Mansour Anwar, agrees that this trade has become a threat to the health of society, as it contains pharmaceutical substances banned by major pharmaceutical organizations, and its use in the medical field has been stopped for many years, because it causes deaths around the world.
He continued, “Some of these substances turn into deadly substances once they are ingested by anyone who is allergic to them, but many people buy these packages without knowing their content, and the packages of these products do not carry any explanatory phrases, so the person ends up dying if he takes continuous doses.”
To read the second episode of the “Death Trade” file: