LAO CAI — A herb known as ‘Japanese tea’, which has been mistaken for a sweet tea called Stevia and long sold as a speciality in Sa Pa, contains toxic chemicals that may harm its drinkers, Sa Pa District People’s Committee has announced.
Vice Chairman of the committee Nguyen Ngoc Hinh said that the sweet herb Stevia could have beneficial effects for people with diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
But that kind of tea doesn’t grow in Sa Pa. The sweet tea sold in the town at VND80,000-100,000 (US$4-5) per kilogram is actually ‘Japanese tea’, he said.
The herb was grown for the first time in Sa Pa and Bac Ha towns in northern Lao Cai Province and Tam Dao Town in northern Vinh Phuc Province in 1992, after a contract was signed between Japan’s Honso Company and the National Institute of Medicinal Materials.
The herb, with the scientific name Hydrangea macrophylla Seginge var thunbergii Makino, was planted to produce non-nicotine tobaccos. A disagreement over prices ended the contract in 2001, but the herb continued to develop well in Sa Pa.
"These herb trees produce about 5 tonnes of dry leaves every year. Thus, 28 households growing the trees pack and sell its dry leaf as the town’s typical product with the advertisement of bringing good health for drinkers," he said.
‘Japanese tea’ has the same taste and shape as its beneficial cousin, but contains high levels of toxicity. Results from the National Institute for Medicinal Materials’ study in 2007 showed that a dosage of 37.5g per kilogram was lethal.
When these results came to light, the selling of ‘Japanese’ tea’ was banned in the town.
Hinh said he contacted Honso Company for further information about the herb. A representative of the company affirmed the tree was imported from China and it was used in anti-fungal and mould chemicals.
The committee has seized and destroyed several kilograms of ‘Japanese tea’ sold at the markets, but their campaign has not yet been effective because the herb is still legal to grow.
Hinh said that the committee contacted Viet Nam Traditional Materials and Products Processing-Exporting Co Ltd, which has agreed to purchase the rest of the ‘Japanese tea’ from 28 households at the price of VND50,000-60,000 ($2.5-3) per kilo.
These households had committed to cut down the trees after this transaction, he said. — VNS
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