On the afternoon of 2/10, the Food Safety Authority, under the Ministry of Health, instructed Shopee Company Limited to review, verify, and immediately remove all information regarding this product and cease its sale.

Regulations mandate that health protection products must register a declaration with the Food Safety Authority before circulation. Advertising content is only permitted within the scope confirmed by the managing authority. However, a review revealed that the Food Safety Authority has not issued a reception certificate for the product in question. Consequently, the product violates both circulation and advertising regulations.

Specifically, the "Korean An cung nguu hoang hoan 10-tablet wooden box" is marketed under the "functional foods" category, claiming to support individuals with vestibular disorders, migraines, cerebral anemia, and coronary artery blockage. The advertisements assert its ability to "prevent stroke risk in people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; prevent cerebral hemorrhage; and aid neurological recovery after a stroke." Each box sells for nearly 3 million dong.

The product is being sold on an e-commerce platform. Photo: Food Safety Authority

The Ministry of Health also warns about the sophisticated counterfeiting of An cung products. Recently, Thanh Hoa provincial police dismantled a production ring manufacturing over one million fake "An Cung stroke prevention" tablets. The main ingredients of these products were merely flour, chemicals, and coloring agents, packaged in counterfeit "imported" wrapping to deceive buyers. While a box of fake An cung cost about 105,000 dong to produce, it was sold to consumers for nearly 3 million dong, a markup of almost 30 times.

The health sector advises consumers that a product sold on an e-commerce platform does not imply the Ministry of Health has licensed its circulation or endorsed its advertised uses. People should thoroughly check the origin, public declaration records, and legal information of any product before purchasing. This is crucial to avoid confusing "An cung" preparations with actual medicines that prevent or treat stroke. Functional foods are not medicines and cannot replace prescribed medication.

Doctor Vu Van Dai from Military Central Hospital 108 explained that An cung nguu hoang hoan is a traditional Chinese medicine used to clear heat, detoxify, and open orifices. It is typically prescribed for "heat" conditions (according to traditional Eastern medicine) presenting with symptoms such as high fever and delirium.

However, most current stroke cases are due to cerebral infarction (cerebral vascular occlusion), an urgent medical emergency. Using An cung in such instances offers no benefit and can even worsen the patient's condition.

More dangerously, if a patient suffers from cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), the anticoagulant properties in An cung nguu hoang hoan can increase bleeding, placing the patient in a critical, life-threatening situation.

Doctor Dai affirmed that traditional medicine does not deny the value of ancient remedies, but it is crucial to correctly understand their role, indications, and limitations. The use of medicine must be based on medical principles, accurate diagnosis, and medical ethics, avoiding blind faith that can cause harm.

Le Nga