Over the past several weeks, the U.S. FDA has announced the recalls of several herbal weight loss supplements over undeclared ingredients. Products branded “Best Slim” and several Bethel Nutritional Consulting pills were recalled for actually having an active ingredient – sibutramine.
Sibutramine was removed from the U.S. market in 2010 over safety concerns for those with heart issues. The substance has been linked to increased blood pressure and pulse rate in some patients, and also carries the risk of potentially life-threatening interactions with some other medications.
Today, the FDA and the Herbal Give Care company of Grand Prairie, Texas announced another recall due to sibutramine. The company’s Esbelder fem, Esbelder man, and Esbelder Siloutte products have all been recalled. In addition to sibutramine, the FDA found that the pills also contained N-esmethylsibutramine and N-diesmethylsibutramine, metabolites of Sibutramine. Customers are urged to stop using the products immediately and return them to their place of purchase.
All bottles of the Esbelder products are being recalled, regardless of lot number. The products were distributed across the U.S. Esbelder man was marketed for increased energy, higher metabloism, improved circulation, and better heart health. Esbelder fem was promoted as a solution for women with “uncontrolled hormones,” with promises of fat burning, better cholesterol, liver detoxification, and the clearing up of menstruation problems. Esbelder Siloutte was marketed as a toxin-eliminating weight loss solution.