New Delhi:
France is witnessing a pointy rise within the unlawful import and distribution of adulterated “love honey”, laced with doubtlessly deadly doses of Viagra and Cialis – a prescription drug used to deal with erectile dysfunction.
Customs officers reported a major improve in seizures of adulterated honey, with 131 circumstances reported in 2023, up from simply 18 in 2019. The most important single haul occurred in Marseille, southern France, final November, the place over 13 tonnes of aphrodisiac honey from Malaysia have been seized.
Customs officers, in a statement launched Monday, warned the general public concerning the rising pattern of “aphrodisiac honey”, bought each on-line and in nook retailers for leisure use.
The honey, typically marketed as an all-natural aphrodisiac, incorporates lively elements like Sildenafil and Tadalafil. These compounds are generally present in Viagra and Cialis, that are regulated medicines. “Assessments carried out by the Joint Laboratory Service (Customs and DGCCRF) detect the presence of lively elements reminiscent of Sildenafil or Tadalafil, each of that are used to deal with erectile dysfunction and are topic to regulation,” mentioned the French customs company.
Distributors tout the honey on social media, providing supply throughout France, with costs starting from Rs 2,700 per pot to Rs 4,500 for 10 sachets. However officers warned the merchandise have been typically bought in unlawful boutiques that additionally promote illicit cigarettes and medicines.
The company warned that customers have been taking appreciable dangers by consuming this adulterated honey, particularly as there was no point out of dosage, contra-indications or antagonistic results on the sachets.
“There’s a threat of very critical and even deadly accidents if taken concurrently with different treatment,” Dr Alain Ducardonnet, a heart specialist, informed French broadcaster BFMTV, as per The Telegraph. “The second threat is an overdose. In case you take an excessive amount of, you threat epileptic seizures, haemorrhages, or kidney issues.”
Already in 2021, well being authorities had warned of a number of circumstances the place the honey had precipitated convulsions, cerebral oedemas or acute kidney accidents.
Regardless of the dangers, younger males have been shopping for and consuming the honey in rising numbers. “Following a pattern, a youthful public are going for this in a giant means, considering they will match the performances to be discovered on porn websites,” a police officer informed Le Figaro newspaper.
Adulterated honey sometimes arrives from international locations like Malaysia, Turkey and Tunisia, both by container ships or by smaller volumes purchased on-line, CNN reported. Whereas France imports honey from international locations like Ukraine, Belgium and Spain, these unlawful shipments bypass regulatory checks.