Trusting advertisements, bringing disaster into life
Many people have had to trade their health, even their lives, just because they believe in "three-generation traditional medicine", " godly medicine to cure all diseases", which are being sold widely on social networks.
Lao Dong Newspaper once reported on the case of a 43-year-old male patient who was successfully transplanted by the 108 Central Military Hospital, which is a typical example. The patient had no history of liver disease, rarely consumed alcohol, but used herbal "physophamic enhancement" drugs of unknown origin. After only a month, he had to be hospitalized in a state of acute liver failure, threatening his life. Fortunately, thanks to timely liver transplantation, the patient recovered.
Master, Doctor Tran Van Bac - Deputy Head of the Emergency Department (Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases) - commented: "People should be careful with all things called herbal medicine of unknown origin. This situation has been warned many times, but the number of hospitalizations due to using herbal medicine of unknown origin is still increasing".
The Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases recorded many cases of hospitalization in very serious condition after patients took herbal medicine. Tests showed severe blood clotting disorder, a sharp decrease in platelet count, increased liver enzymes, and organ failure. A typical example is patient N.N.D, 64 years old in Bac Giang, who was diagnosed with hepatitis B 30 years ago. Before being admitted to the hospital, the patient took herbal medicine of unknown origin to treat hepatitis B for 5 months.
Talking to Lao Dong, People's Doctor Nguyen Hong Xiem - former Chairman of the Hanoi Traditional Medicine Association - said: "The business and advertising of traditional medicine is also a pressing issue. In addition to good products, there are many poor quality products and fake products that greatly affect the health of patients".
Last year, at the National Fair of medicinal herbs, Traditional Medicine and medicinal products, data from the Ministry of Health said: Vietnam was ranked 2nd in the world in terms of achievements in traditional medicine with more than 5,000 medicinal plants with health care benefits, forming large medicinal plant growing areas. In addition to health care and protection, medicinal herbs are also used as medicine, nutritional foods, cosmetics... The whole country currently has nearly 70,000 members of the Oriental Medicine Association, with more than 11,000 diagnostic rooms and orientation centers. Among them, many doctors own valuable traditional medicine. However, currently, the achievements of traditional medicine and prestigious orientation schools are being affected by the situation of impersonation and false advertising rampant on social networks".
Director of the Department of Traditional Medicine Management Nguyen The Thinh said: The situation of advertising "genetic medicine salaries" to sell orientative drugs that are inflated to treat many chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer has appeared widely on TikTok and YouTube channels. This greatly affects the value of traditional medicine.
Rectify and strictly handle
In order to rectify the situation of illegal trading, production and advertising of traditional medicine, the Ministry of Health has issued Decision No. 1703/QD-BYT to implement the "Pikes month for fighting against counterfeit, smuggled and trade fraud" in the whole industry from May 15 to June 15, 2025.
Through practical inspection, some shortcomings in the field of traditional medicine have been discovered. The Department of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy Management recommends that the Departments of Health of provinces and cities continue to strengthen inspection and examination, strictly handling organizations and individuals related to the production and trading of medicinal herbs, traditional medicine, and fake traditional medicine.
Report of violations before June 30, 2025
The Department of Traditional Medicine Management also requested the Departments of Health of provinces and cities to synthesize and report on the implementation process of rectifying medical examination, treatment, inspection and examination of facilities in the management area of traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals in the first 6 months of 2025, including the following contents: Developing a plan to implement the peak month of the fight against and repelling smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringement of intellectual property rights in the field of traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals. The implementation results will be sent to the Department of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy Management before June 30, 2025.
The Department of Traditional Medicine Management has also just published a list of 20 businesses with medicinal herbs and traditional medicinal herbs that violate quality (updated to June 18, 2025). The violations are mainly inorganic and impurities.
