French customs officers mentioned Monday {that a} file 31,000 tons of illegally imported honey touted as an all-natural sexual enhancement — however usually tainted with erectile dysfunction medication — had been seized within the nation final 12 months.
The packets of honey and gels, offered as “pictures” or “sticks” with names like Black Horse or Bio Max, are sometimes offered surreptitiously in golf equipment and different nightlife spots.
Use of the “aphrodisiac honey” has elevated lately, with officers warning of doubtless critical well being dangers from substances not listed on the labels.
“For the reason that amount of adulteration is unknown, and the doses consumed aren’t advisable or quantified, the patron takes important dangers by consuming this sort of adulterated honey,” France’s customs workplace mentioned in a statement.
They usually comprise chemical merchandise like sildenafil or tadalafil, the primary substances within the erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis, which in France are solely out there on prescription.
France Customs
Already in 2021, well being authorities had warned of a number of instances the place the honey had brought about convulsions, cerebral oedemas or acute kidney accidents.
France’s customs workplace mentioned it had seized 31,000 tons, primarily coming from nations together with Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia and Thailand.
“They arrive by sea, in containers in massive portions, or by specific freight, in smaller volumes, following purchases on the Web,” the workplace mentioned.
The largest discover was made within the Mediterranean port metropolis of Marseille in November — 13 tons value in round 860,000 sticks in a cargo from Malaysia.
Final June, officers mentioned customs officers from Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand seized practically 25,000 doses of the honey in a storage field.
