Recently, a product called Ginseng Bitter Melon Buckwheat Mulberry Leaf Slices has been selling well on various online platforms, claiming to be the so-called "miracle drug for lowering blood sugar". However, many elderly patients who believe in promotional purchases may not only fail to control their blood sugar levels, but may also delay proper treatment. In fact, the so-called "hypoglycemic miracle drug" is not a medicine at all, but an endurance sports nutrition food, and even the top three ingredients on its ingredient list are common sugar raising ingredients. A reporter's investigation found that letting diabetes patients pay for "antidiabetic drugs" was only the first step in a series of business routines. Then there was a one-on-one marketing specifically for patients: after sending the products, the merchants guided consumers to contact the so-called "sugar control experts", who pretended to be doctors of well-known hospitals, deliberately derogated from prescription hypoglycemic drugs, and advocated that taking high priced products could "cure diabetes". What kind of gray marketing chain is hidden behind this series of routines for diabetes patients? Mr. Wang in Shandong has suffered from diabetes for many years. Last October, he saw a ginseng, balsam pear, buckwheat and mulberry leaf tablet from the live broadcast room, claiming that it can cure diabetes. With the attitude of trying, he ordered three bottles. Mr. Wang: In that live broadcast room, the person was wearing a white coat, which means that high blood sugar can be cured by taking this for a month. I've been eating for a month, and it's even higher than before. We don't know if we ate this food, but it definitely hasn't dropped. After being reminded by his son, Mr. Wang realized that he had not bought any hypoglycemic drugs at all after checking the product information. The reporter found that the product type of this ginseng bitter gourd buckwheat mulberry leaf slice is labeled as a sports nutrition food (endurance type), and the top three ingredients on the product list are edible glucose, maltodextrin, and corn starch, which are suitable for sports and other people. Mr. Wang said that he had been taking this product as a hypoglycemic drug before, and even stopped the prescription of hypoglycemic drugs prescribed by the doctor for this reason. On the network platform, ginseng, balsam pear, buckwheat and mulberry leaf tablets are molded into "antidiabetic drugs". The price of a single bottle varies from a few yuan to dozens of yuan. The outer packaging of ginseng, balsam pear, buckwheat and mulberry leaf tablets of different brands is usually highly similar, and the marketing discourse is the same, focusing on the promotion of elderly diabetes patients. In the video, some so-called "experts" talk confidently and list so-called "clinical data"; There are also people who claim to be "sugar lovers" who share their experiences of "stopping medication and recovering", coupled with the gimmicks of "invalid refunds" and "direct supply from manufacturers", which have touched the hearts of many elderly people who have been ill for many years. In fact, selling ginseng, bitter gourd, buckwheat, and mulberry leaf slices is just the first step in the merchant's routine. The reporter placed an order for the same product with a sales volume of 32000 bottles at a specialized store on a short video platform. When receiving the goods, the courier turned out to be an iron box with a password lock, with the label "Received goods, do not use blindly, teacher will guide according to physical condition, customized according to personal situation". The reporter added a corporate friend using the contact information on the box, who claimed to be Tan Liang, a doctor from Haikou Hospital affiliated with Xiangya Medical College of Central South University. After obtaining the password, the reporter opened the iron box and found two bottles of Beimei Long brand ginseng, bitter gourd, buckwheat, and mulberry leaf slices. Although the brand is different from what Mr. Wang purchased, they come from the same manufacturer and are labeled as sports nutrition food (endurance food). The rest of the information is completely consistent. For patients aged 60-70 with blood sugar levels exceeding 8mmol/L and currently taking metformin, Dr. Tan Liang, who claims to be a doctor at Xiangya Medical College Affiliated Haikou Hospital, stated that conventional glycemic control drugs should be treated conservatively for life, treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. Long term use can damage the liver and kidneys, with significant side effects, and is not recommended for long-term use. He claimed that relying solely on ginseng, bitter gourd, buckwheat, and mulberry leaf slices is not enough, and combining them with their medicinal and edible products for regulation can achieve the goal of preventing blood sugar rebound after stopping the medication. Tan Liang: It will be prepared according to the physical condition, including cordyceps, Ganoderma lucidum, Poria cocos, ginseng, Polygonatum sibiricum, mulberries, goji berries, kudzu root, Angelica sinensis, and Codonopsis pilosula. These will be ground into medicinal powder or pressed into pills. Reduce blood lipids, improve fatty liver, lower blood sugar, repair pancreatic function, and enhance liver and kidney function. Generally, we lower blood sugar levels within 5 to 10 days, stabilize blood sugar levels, and stop using Western medicine within 10 to 20 days. Subsequently, the other party offered a total of 1226 yuan for two treatment courses. When the reporter asked if the food medicine product was a drug, the other party was ambiguous. Tan Liang: Tonic Diet is homologous. It can be a medicine or not. It won't have as many side effects as medicine. Further investigation by the reporter found that the authentication subject of the enterprise WeChat used by the other party is a certain health management limited company, whose business scope covers health consulting services, but clearly indicates that it does not include diagnosis and treatment services. Subsequently, the reporter contacted Haikou Hospital affiliated with Xiangya Medical College of Central South University to verify, and the hospital clearly stated that there is no doctor or staff named Tan Liang at the hospital. The relevant laws and regulations in our country have strict definitions for ordinary food, health food, and drugs: the labels and instructions of food and food additives are strictly prohibited from containing false content, and must not involve disease prevention or treatment functions; Even for substances that are of the same origin as medicine and food, when sold as food, they cannot be promoted as "medicinal effects" and can only be sold in compliance with ordinary food regulations; And health foods are not drugs, they cannot replace drugs in treating diseases. Hou Xinguo, director of the endocrinology department of Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, told VOC that the treatment of diabetes does involve diet management, but it cannot replace drug treatment. He reminded not to believe such false advertising easily, so as not to delay treatment. Hou Xinguo, Director of the Endocrinology Department at Qilu Hospital, Shandong University: We often control our diet from the perspective of calorie intake, avoiding excessive calorie intake, and ensuring food diversity, rather than asking you to eat more because a certain food contains hypoglycemic ingredients. These are completely different concepts. Food or health products should never be used as drugs. Just like before, bitter gourd may have some active ingredients, but because it is not a medicine and has not been purified, the content of the so-called effective ingredients in it cannot reach the level of medicine or the effect of disease treatment. They should never be used as drugs, let alone stopping regular medication just because they have taken them, as it may delay treatment. (New Society)