'Sand ginger powder' sold in Burnaby linked to heart irregularities, Fraser Health warns

Officials linked the patients' heart irregularities to sand ginger powder they had purchased from Wing Hing Trading Co. Ltd. (Fraser Health)

Fraser Health is warning the public after two people attended local hospitals with heart irregularities attributed to a product purchased from a retailer in Burnaby's Crystal Mall.

The hospital visits happened in early February, the health authority said in a news release Wednesday.

Officials linked the patients' heart irregularities to sand ginger powder they had purchased from Wing Hing Trading Co. Ltd, which is located in the mall.

The health authority said the product may contain poisonous monkshood powder.

"Monkshood is the common name for a plant called Aconitum," Fraser Health said in its release.

"Roots of the plant, which look very similar to ginger root, contain the toxin aconitine that can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, irregular ventricular contractions, and in severe cases, death."

Wing Hing sold the product in 70-gram packages labelled with the company's name. There is "no identifying lot information" on the packaging, according to Fraser Health.

The health authority is warning anyone who purchased the product not to consume it and to discard it immediately.

"Fraser Health has since seized the remaining product from the store and continues to work with other agencies to ensure it is further removed from the marketplace," the health authority said.

Anyone who experiences symptoms of poisoning should seek medical attention and call the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre at 604-682-5050 or 1-800-567-8911, Fraser Health said.

The health authority added that anyone with questions about the Wing Hing sand ginger powder should call its Burnaby Health Protection Office at 604-918-7683.