Unsafe product: This slimming product has been found to have undeclared western drugs which can cause serious side effects.

The Department of Health warns consumers not to buy or use slimming product Dan Bai Shou Shen Su which has been found to contain undeclared western drugs like thyroid hormones and sibutramine which can cause serious side effects.

Sibutramine can cause increased blood pressure and heart rate, and people with heart problems should not take it. Side effects of thyroid hormones include tremors, palpitation, excessive sweating, insomnia, headache and abnormal heart rhythms.

Products containing these ingredients must be registered before they can be sold in Hong Kong on doctors' prescription and dispensed under pharmacists' supervision.

The product is not registered in Hong Kong and the department has no record of it being imported into the city for sale.

People who have used the product should stop taking it immediately and seek medical advice if they feel unwell. They can dispose of the product themselves or send it to the department's Pharmaceutical Service at 3/F Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon.