Ministry of Health bans unregistered indigenous medicines

by Phanida

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Burmese Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced a list of some unregistered indigenous medicines, which were unfit for consumption, in all the daily newspapers.

The Ministry of Health in Burma has banned 16 items of indigenous medicine, which is the follow-up list of some brands of pickled tea leaves, indigenous medicines for children and fish paste, banned earlier.

The announcement of the Health Ministry claims that these banned products are unregistered with them and they cannot guarantee their authenticity and effectiveness. These products are unfit for use by the consumers, the announcement said.

These banned products are Kachin Thway Say with Gyophyu brand, Sein Thaw, Tu Tazin and Kyaw brands for asthma, pain killers, gynecology drugs, gastric and hypertension drugs. Most of these products are produced and marketed in Kachin State and Rangoon Division.

Similarly, the Ministry earlier banned Daw Htwe Gaw Mutta and Daw Kyin brands of medicines for children, for excessive use of arsenic and lead on May 4, 2009.

Over a 100 brands of pickled tea leaves, were similarly banned last month after it was found that they contained industrial chemical dye 'Auramine O'.

It has been learnt that this chemical dye is normally used in dyeing of fabrics, wool, silk, paper and hides, which can cause liver and kidney diseases and can affect the growth of the body in case of long term consumption.

Moreover, the Ministry banned about 80 brands of fish paste for using the chemical dye 'Rhodamine B', which can cause cancer to consumers.

This red chemical dye is used for dyeing and polishing of fabrics, wool, silk, paper and hides and is also used as a chemical reagent in pathology labs.