By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and AUSTIN CAMOENS

JOHOR BARU, Malaysia: The state health department is coming down hard on peddlers distributing traditional medication that purportedly improves men's sexual performance.

Johor Women, Family, Community Development and Health committee chairman Dr Robiah Kosai said that the department was aware that there were hundreds of such products in the market.

"However our focus is on such medication which comes in the form of capsules as some have been found to contain hazardous chemicals," she said.

Their side-effects include low-blood pressure and heart attack, Dr Robiah said in response to a question from Ng See Tiong (BN-Parit Yaani) on enforcement to curb the sale of such medication.

Dr Robiah also said that in the first five months of this year, the department had inspected 150 premises selling traditional medicines state-wide.

The department's officers had confiscated 129 different poisonous traditional medicinal products worth RM 45,860 ($18,885) during the inspections.

"As many as 49 cases have gone to court with 17 people pleading guilty," she said, adding that the courts have imposed fines amounting to RM18,950.

Dr Robiah said that the Pharmaceutical Services Division has also increased its enforcement activities to curb the sale of such products.

She said that any traditional medicine or health product needs to be registered with the ministry and also requires a holographic Meditag placed on it.

She added that stern action - including revoking the company's manufacturing licence - would be taken against anyone found selling and producing the tainted products.