A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego Medical School confirms a recent report on the contamination of the herbal supplement PC-SPES. On February 8, 2002 California State Health Director Diana M. Bontá warned consumers to immediately stop using the herbal products PC SPES and SPES capsules because they contained undeclared prescription drug ingredients that could cause serious health effects if not taken under medical supervision.
After an investigation into the allegations, BotanicLab, the Brea-based manufacturer of the products, voluntarily recalled PC SPES and SPES nationwide. PC SPES was found to contain warfarin and SPES tested positive for alprazolam, which are available only by prescription and sold either by their generic names or the trade names, Coumadin and Xanax, respectively. The current study analyzed lots of PC-SPES manufactured from 1996 to 2001, finding traces of the prescription medications indomethacin, diethylstilbestrol and warfarin.