Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have issued an advisory recommending that consumers not use oral products containing chaparral because of serious health concerns.

Retailers are being asked to remove products intended for oral use from their shelves and either return them to the supplier or dispose of them, importers are baing asked to stop importing and distributing products for oral use or foods containing chaparral and associations and other groups are being asked to notify their members.

Accepted uses for chaparral in Canada include approved homepathic medicines and as a topical application in cream, lotion or ointment form.