Traditional medicine floods the market, bringing risks... to your home!

At Dong Loc market (Dong Loc commune, Ha Tinh province), people can easily buy all kinds of oriental medicine, traditional Vietnamese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and herbs. It is worth mentioning that according to the reporter's observation, these products have no labels, origin information or expiry date, and are sold right in the middle of the market. A person who specializes in selling traditional Chinese medicine at the market confidently asserted: "We import these medicines from Hanoi and Vinh city, buyers can rest assured to use them."

Many herbs are advertised by vendors as being able to cure diseases.

At Thach Ha market, through the reporter's inspection, there are 3 stalls selling oriental medicine, traditional Vietnamese medicine, and Chinese medicine. The sellers introduce the beneficial properties of many medicinal herbs, for example, "miracle drugs" that cool the liver, nourish the kidneys, enhance physiology or reduce weight. There are even types that can cure cancer. What is worrying is that most of the drugs on sale do not have a clear origin or expiration date...

Many drugs on sale have no known origin.

Sellers claim that these medicines can cure diseases, but when asked specifically about the origin, harvesting standards, preservation or quality control, most of them cannot provide any documents or certificates. They mainly rely on the introduction of traders or word of mouth to promote the "rare" uses of the products. Many also emphasize that the medicinal herbs are taken from the forest, from the mountain people or are "family medicine" to create trust for customers.

Drug trading activities take place regularly at traditional markets.

The buyer only needs to briefly describe a few symptoms and the seller will immediately choose a package of medicine that is “right for the disease”, and give instructions on how to make a decoction or soak it in alcohol. Everything is done quickly, based on personal experience, without any medical verification, professional examination or prescription from a traditional doctor.

Meanwhile, many people see medicinal herbs being sold everywhere and being enthusiastically advertised, so they trust and buy them to follow the trend. Many people think, "If others can use it, I can use it too", leading to a subjective mentality, buying according to the majority without considering the safety or suitability for their own health condition.

Mr. NTT (Cam Binh commune, Ha Tinh province) shared: “They said drinking it helps you sleep well and detoxifies the liver, so I believed it. It’s traditional medicine, and I thought it was benign, so I wasn’t too worried. When you’re sick, you pray to all directions, and when you see hope, you try it to see if it works.”

Many kinds of medicine are sold everywhere at Dinh market, Cam Binh commune, Ha Tinh province.

Doctor Nguyen Duc Hoan - Department of Emergency and Anti-Poisoning (Ha Tinh General Hospital) emphasized: "The arbitrary use of roots, barks, and leaves of plants of unknown origin to drink or soak in alcohol has many potential dangers. The Provincial General Hospital has received many cases of poisoning and severe liver and kidney damage, just because of using floating herbs of unknown origin. Using unverified medicinal herbs is no different than gambling with one's own health and life."

“People should not believe in word-of-mouth advertising, and should not consider 'forest medicines' as miracle drugs. When in need of medicine, they should consult a doctor or a qualified herbalist to protect their health,” Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoan further warned.

Doctor Nguyen Duc Hoan talks with reporters

Faced with the situation of medicinal herbs, oriental medicines, traditional Vietnamese medicines, and Chinese medicines being sold everywhere, it is thought that the authorities and local governments need to take synchronous and drastic measures to control and protect people's health. Each consumer also needs to be careful, research carefully and only buy reputable products to avoid the risk of "losing money and getting sick".