I am a retired journalist, but not so retired as to prevent the old juices from flowing when I get the whiff of a good yarn.

My wife, ill from a heavy cold, was recommended a herbal concoction (in capsule form) by a local who is known as an expert on herbs. Indeed, he (or more correctly his partner) sells them from a restaurant with a lovely sunset view here in Pai. He is from the US and is probably about 60 years old, is thin, tall and has a pallid complexion. Local gossip suggests he may have been a doctor in the US; that he came to Pai with an untreatable, possibly terminal disease, but cured himself using nothing more than herbs.I stress this is nothing more than heresay.

I willingly disclose my interest. My wife's cold was proceeding in much the way one would expect in a normally very healthy woman. A few minutes after taking the recommended dosage of capsules, she complained that her stomach was very hot. Shortly afterwards, she started vomiting, her pulse rate increased markedly, and shortly thereafter, she complained of having sore muscles in her forearms and back.

I have some of the capsules which will be submitted to toxicology tests by my old media firm in Australia. The capsules might possibly be prepared in the restaurant, I suspect therefore, some cross contamination may have occurred.

I am interested in the hygiene aspects, but, and here I quote an editor who once supervised me in a suburban daily in Brisbane, "There is always a good story, with great background, whenever someone tries to sell a book called 'How I cured myself by eating dogs**t'.

I will be very grateful to anyone with information, positive or otherwise, who makes a post here. I have other limited information which it would be injudicious of me to disclose, but which may be made available to anyone with a personal interest.

Footnote, the sellers of the herbs have just come to our home in an attempt to redeem the remaining capsules.

Interesting story.

A few weeks ago I was enduring a bout of bronchitis, for which I was taking prescribed antibiotics, but I was troubled by a persistent catarrhal cough. My wife produced some herbal tablets recommended by a neighbour, Thai-only label on the pillbox, and to humour her I took a couple with some misgivings. An hour or two later there was no improvement in the cough and I felt somewhat nauseous. Needless to say, I declined to take any more of the wretched things and got myself some Actifed tablets which produced the desired result.

I think this topic is better suited to the health forum.

Moved.

Why would someone in their right mind take some "medication" and they dont even know what is in it herbal or not....