The Food and Drug Administration has added another supplement product to an existing warning because it contains toxic yellow oleander. There were already 28 products on the list.
The implicated products have been tested by public health labs and found to have yellow oleander, which is poisonous and causes neurologic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe, or even fatal, according to the FDA warning.
The products are on sale at retailers and online from Amazon, eBay and Etsy, among other sites.
The products’ labels indicate they contain tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) root or Brazil seed when they actually contain yellow oleander. Yellow oleander is a poisonous plant native to Mexico and Central America and a toxic substance of concern to public health officials.
Some of the companies have recalled the products, but others have not, so it is crucial that consumers check their homes for the implicated products. For a list of products, click here.
The FDA is advising consumers to stop using and dispose of these products.
The FDA advises consumers who have taken any of these products to contact their health care provider immediately, even if the products have not been used recently, so that an appropriate evaluation may be conducted.
Call 911 or get emergency medical help right away if you or someone in your care has side effects from these products.
Consumers can also contact their state poison control center.
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on several tejocote root products found to be substituted with yellow oleander. Based on this report, the FDA initiated an investigation to sample and test additional tejocote root products.
Based on the FDA’s sampling and testing results thus far, the FDA is also concerned that other products marketed as tejocote root — including with other names such as Crataegus mexicana, Raiz de Tejocote, and Mexican Hawthorn — may contain yellow oleander.
The FDA is actively working with the third-party platforms where these products are sold. The FDA’s investigation is ongoing.