FDA issues warning about online weight loss supplement

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Wednesday that an online weight loss supplement labeled “tejocote root” was found to be substituted with a toxic plant.

The FDA tested nine samples labeled as tejocote, some sold on popular sites like Amazon and Etsy, and found them to contain yellow oleander, a poisonous plant native to Mexico and Central America.

Ingestion of yellow oleander can cause neurologic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe or even deadly, the FDA said. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cardiac changes and dysrhythmia.