Organic or so-called "natural" products are all the craze. People wrongly believe, often because of purposefully misleading advertising, that these products are safer and healthier than other products.
One of the biggest offenders in this regard are dietary supplements, which are poorly regulated. These products can make all sorts of unproven claims as long as they include a disclaimer saying that the FDA hasn't evaluated them. As you can imagine, this allows for unscrupulous behavior, such as labeling vitamin C tablets with questionable assertions like, "Helps support the immune system."*
Other products are far worse. One company selling a product known as Leopard Miracle Honey has apparently spiked it with Viagra.
All-Natural 'Miracle Honey' Spiked with Viagra
Miracle Honey really is miraculous. According to its website, the honey will "heal sexual impotence and sterility." Wow, that's good honey!
How does honey, which isn't all that different from high-fructose corn syrup, make a man pop a boner? Well, they claim it's due to a special concoction of "rainforest herbs: Tongkat Ali root, Ginseng root, Carob and Cinnamon powder." (See image of the product's ingredient list, provided by the FDA.)
Why should an impotent man use their product instead of seeing his doctor? Well, because "running to synthetic chemical drugs carries the weight of dangerous side effects." So, no synthetic chemicals in Miracle Honey. No sir!
Okay, there might be one: Viagra.
A notification on the FDA's website says that a voluntary recall of Miracle Honey has been issued due to the presence of undeclared sildenafil. That's the generic name for Viagra. In other words, the actual secret ingredient in Miracle Honey is a synthetic drug produced by Big Pharma.
No wonder its website says that its all-natural, herb-infused honey should "not to be used by patients with kidney failure, heart disease, chronic hypertension, ischemia, and children under 18 years old." This makes sense since Viagra comes with a similar warning. They didn't want to accidentally kill somebody.
Fraud in the 'Natural' Products and Supplements Industry
Just how common is this sort of potentially lethal fraud? It's hard to say, but my colleague Dr. Josh Bloom just reported on a supplement called "Blue Fusion" that included not one, not two, but six undeclared drugs, four of which were for treating erectile dysfunction.
Gents, if your pocket rocket is no longer ready for liftoff, put down the herbal supplements and go see your doctor.
*Note: This is questionable because (1) nobody needs to take a vitamin C supplement unless he's a British sailor from the 18th Century; and (2) there is very little evidence for the widespread belief that vitamin C helps prevent colds.
