From herbal remedies to “miracle cures”

Along the road to the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign Headquarters Relic Site in Mường Phăng commune, makeshift roadside stalls sell bundles of dried leaves, roots, and mushrooms. Prices range from just tens to hundreds of thousands of VND, yet vendors boldly market them as traditional medicine, even “miracle cures” for everything from back pain, joint pain, herniated discs, and spinal degeneration to hepatitis and stomach ulcers.

Inside the heritage site, similar herbal products are sold in kiosks. Unlike the raw bundles sold outside, these items come in neatly labeled bottles and colorful packaging, often with printed descriptions claiming: “Traditional Thái medicine from Mường Phăng to treat toothaches, cavities, gum disease,” or “Remedy for back pain, arthritis, sciatica,” and “Tứn khửn to boost kidney function and enhance male vitality.”

Pretending to be tourists, we were warmly welcomed by Ms. L.T.N., a kiosk vendor, who eagerly introduced the products on display. Holding up a jar labeled “Tứn khửn,” she confidently declared: “This is magical medicine. It works immediately. All ingredients are from the forest, 100% natural and absolutely safe with no side effects.”

Speaking as though she were promoting a miracle drug, she continued: “Tourists from Hà Nội, Hải Phòng, and other provinces always buy in bulk. Some even call back to order more. These are all precious traditional remedies passed down from our ancestors.” However, when asked about business licenses, quality certification, or product registration numbers, she simply smiled and said, “It’s all ancestral knowledge, handmade and passed down through generations.”

While vendors make bold claims, buyers often give in to curiosity, cultural appeal, or the hope for a cheap and simple treatment. This consumer leniency inadvertently supports the sale of unverified and unregulated products.

What many don’t realize is that using such herbal medicine, without clear information on ingredients, dosage, preparation, or interaction with other medications, can pose serious health risks. There have been cases of rashes, allergic reactions, nausea, and dizziness after using so-called “traditional remedies.”

Ms. Trần Thị M., from Điện Biên Phủ ward, shared her experience: “I bought a herbal balm that claimed to relieve joint pain. But after applying it, my skin burned and broke out in rashes. When I called the number on the label, the seller said maybe it didn’t suit my body type. Later, I found out my skin had reacted to unknown ingredients.”

Stricter oversight needed to protect public health

This issue isn’t limited to Mường Phăng. The sale of “traditional medicine” is widespread across mountain markets and traditional bazaars. Most of these products have no known origin, no quality control documents, and no circulation permits. Despite being advertised as “curative,” “ancestral,” or “specialty treatments,” they are, in reality, just unregulated herbal products.

According to the Law on Pharmacy, medicine is defined as any preparation containing pharmaceutical substances or medicinal herbs intended for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or physiological regulation. Whether it’s Western medicine, herbal remedies, or traditional treatments, all must go through safety testing, obtain registration numbers, and be approved by relevant authorities before being sold.

Even for traditional or herbal medicines, strict regulations still apply, such as traceable sourcing of raw materials, standardized processing, verified quality, expiration dates, storage conditions, and proper labeling. Harvesting random plants, drying and packaging them, then labeling them as “medicine” is a violation of the law.

Furthermore, falsely advertising unapproved products as having curative properties is a violation of the Law on Advertising and Decree No.117/2020/NĐ-CP. Penalties for such violations range from VND 30 to 50 million. Violators are also required to remove all misleading content and recall and destroy the unlawful products.

If such practices lead to serious harm to a person’s health or life, they may be subject to criminal prosecution under current Penal Code provisions for “deceiving consumers” or “producing and selling counterfeit medicine.”

Confirming the existence of unlicensed herbal medicine sold under the guise of “traditional remedies” in some areas, the Division of Pharmacy under the Điện Biên provincial Department of Health has proposed stricter management. They have also collaborated with relevant agencies and local authorities to raise public awareness, helping people correctly understand the concept of “medicine” and related legal regulations. The Department of Health has also planned inspections of herbal medicine trading and illegal “traditional remedy” sales.