Mayway's response to article: Beware of Counterfeits that Contain Lead And Mercury

June 2006

We have received emails in reference to the news brief regarding Lanzhou products distributed in the New York area containing extremely high concentrations of heavy metals.
These products are not genuine Min Shan® Brand products nor are they distributed by Mayway. Consequently, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify some misconceptions surrounding “Lanzhou Pills”.

The news brief referred to products made by “Lanzhou Traditional Herbs”. Unfortunately it didn't specify the actual brand or importer. We are not familiar with this manufacturer, but there are quite a number of Chinese medicine factories located in and around the city Lanzhou. “Lanzhou pills” originally referred to products made by the Lanzhou Foci Herb Factory (officially the Lanzhou Foci Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.) under the Min Shan® Brand label. Mayway has been the sole U.S. representative and importer of this brand since the 1980's.

With Lanzhou Foci's long history and award winning products, many companies have attempted to capitalize on the Lanzhou Foci name by using similar factory names and packaging. Although in China each and every product made by a reputable manufacturer is registered with the government and issued a product permit number, there are quite a number of non-registered factories that make products for export (without the permit number there is no way a medicinal product could be sold domestically). As there are no restrictions on importing into the U.S., these factors have lead to quite a few lines of “Lanzhou pills” being sold in the U.S. purportedly from Lanchow Medicine Works, Minshan Herb Factory, Lanzhou Herb Factory, Lanzhou Traditional Herbs, Lanchow foci Pharmaceutical among others. Please see the Counterfeit Products Notice below.

The products mentioned in the news brief were not made by Lanzhou Foci, nor imported or sold by Mayway. Lanzhou Foci is an internationally certified GMP factory, and all Min Shan® products imported exclusively by Mayway are tested both at the factory and at a 3rd party laboratory for heavy metals. We furnish all product test results upon request. If you are unsure of the authenticity of a product, please give us a call at 1-800-2-MAYWAY 1-800-262-9929.

Min Shan®Brand Teapills from the Lanzhou Foci Herb Factory have long been at the heart of the vast array of prepared Chinese herbal medicines. These extraordinary herbal remedies can be found in clinics and herbal shops around the world. Classically, pills in China were handmade using honey as a binding agent, which is why they are sometimes referred to as “honey pills”. The Lanzhou Foci Herb Factory pioneered modern manufacturing methods to create pills which were uniform in size, concentrated, stable, and clean, without extra sugars or useless binding agents. The award-winning GMP certified Lanzhou Foci Herb Factory in Lanzhou China is widely considered to be the preeminent manufacturer of traditional teapills in the world. Their line of Min Shan®Brand Teapills provides some of the finest and most important remedies in Chinese herbal medicine in a teapill form.

Counterfeit Products Notice
There are many copies of Min Shan®Brand pills Some have similar names. Others are look-a-likes. Real Min Shan® Brand Teapills, however, come from an internationally certified GMP factory and are 3rd-party laboratory tested for heavy metals. They are also made with unsulfured herbs using the same slow cooking methods as Plum Flower® Brand teapills.

You'll find our Mayway code number and the Mayway distributor information on the side panel. Names such as Minshan Factory and other combinations of our name can be seen on copies.

Be wary of similar looking patent formulas not purchased from Mayway or our distributors. If you are unsure of the authenticity of a product, please give us a call at 1-800-2-MAYWAY (1-800-262-9929) or 510-208-3113 (Monday through Friday, 8am-5:30pm Pacific Standard Time).