Regulator warns against taking Grakcu herbal capsules

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to buy Grakcu herbal capsules, because the product is dangerously contaminated with erectile dysfunction drugs.
FDA deputy secretary-general Withid Sariddeechaikool said on Tuesday the contamination was found in the Grakcu product with the registration number G 481/53, the manufacturing date May 2, 2024, and expiry date May 2, 2026.
Dr Withid said FDA officials collected samples of the product from drug stores and the Department of Medical Sciences found they were contaminated with two drugs. The FDA ordered the manufacturer to recall the product immediately and was investigating the contamination.
Dr Withid said the two medications detected are controlled drugs aimed at treating erectile dysfunction and high blood pressure in pulmonary arteries.
Their use must be prescribed because they enlarge blood vessels and can have a deleterious impact on people with illnesses of the liver, kidneys or heart, high blood pressure, and stroke victims.
Herbal products containing erectile dysfunction drugs can cause side effects including headaches, vision impairment, low blood pressure, heart attack, high eyeball pressures and hearing loss.
Side effects can be fatal for those taking some medications to treat a chronic illness, Dr Withid said.
The FDA would continue its search for herbal products that cause health issues, he said. It had earlier found seven herbal products contaminated with sildenafil and tadalafil, he said. Both are erectile dysfunction drugs.