Amazon slammed for selling bogus homeopathy products made from the pus of syphilis blisters

Amazon is selling homeopathy products made from the pus of syphilis and scabies blisters, MailOnline can reveal. 

The retail giant also offers pills comprising diseased human tissue, including breast cancer cells and urethral gonorrhea discharge, as well as sperm whale vomit.

Critics today accused Amazon of misleading customers by allowing the listings to pose as genuine medicines. 

Amazon today took down three flagged by MailOnline but not identical ones listed by the same sellers. It said third party sellers must follow its guidelines and said those who do not could face removal of their account.

Amazon has been slammed for selling bogus homeopathy products made from the pus of syphilis blisters (pictured)

Amazon has been slammed for selling bogus homeopathy products made from the pus of syphilis blisters (pictured)

Birmingham-based Urenus UK is listing thousands of unproven $9.99 homeopathic products, including psorinum which is made from dissolved pus from scabies blisters

Birmingham-based Urenus UK is listing thousands of unproven $9.99 homeopathic products, including psorinum which is made from dissolved pus from scabies blisters

Malaysian company MyBestDeals is listing a 11ml Dr Reckeweg 'medicine' for $24.99 with $9.99 shipping (£25.21 in total). It is made out of ambergris — a mysterious substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales

Malaysian company MyBestDeals is listing a 11ml Dr Reckeweg ‘medicine’ for $24.99 with $9.99 shipping (£25.21 in total). It is made out of ambergris — a mysterious substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WACKIEST HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES ON SALE ON AMAZON MADE FROM?

Syphilinum                

Psorinum                   

Ambra Grisea                                                      

Thyroidinum                  

Tuberculinum bovinum

Carcinsonum                                                   

Caninum 

Medorrhinum                                                 

Lyssin 

Pus from syphilis blisters

Pus from scabies blisters

Sperm whale intestinal secretion

Sheep thyroid gland

Cow’s tuberculosis gland

Human (usually breast) cancer tissue

Dog milk

Male urethral gonorrhea discharge

Rabid dog saliva 

WHAT IS AMBRA GRISEA? THE HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY MADE OF ‘WHALE VOMIT’

Ambra grisea is made out of ambergris (pictured), a sperm whale secretion which is made in the intestines and is commonly referred to as 'whale vomit'

Ambra grisea is made out of ambergris (pictured), a sperm whale secretion which is made in the intestines and is commonly referred to as ‘whale vomit’

Ambra grisea is a popular homeopathic remedy which is supposed to help people treat shyness, bladder and rectum pain.

It is made from a heavily dissolved ambergris, which is a secretion sperm whales make in their their intestines.

The hard substance can build up in a whale’s rectum for decades and is commonly referred to as ‘whale vomit’ because it is believed to be regurgitated by the animals many times before it is passed.

It has a fecal smell when it is first passed by the whale but takes on an earthy sweet smell as it dries out, which historically made it popular as an incense in ancient Egypt.

Ambergris is legal in the UK but illegal in the US under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The substance is usually found washed up on shorelines or in the sea, but some homeopathic people have been known to search the carcasses of dead sperm whales to harvest it.

They believe ambra grisea can be used to treat various ailments, including face-twitching, sleeplessness and vertigo.

Homeopathy is an alternative ‘treatment’ based on using heavily diluted samples of substances — often flowers.

It is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’, so materials that are known to cause certain symptoms can also cure them. 

Advocates of the practice say it can treat a plethora of conditions, including arthritis, piles and nausea.

But homeopathy is no longer funded on the NHS because there is no evidence it is effective.

Critics say the remedies are so heavily diluted with water that they are placebo in all but name. Practitioners say the more diluted a substance is, the more effective it is.

Professor Edzard Ernst, one of the most high-profile critics of homeopathy, said none of the remedies found by MailOnline were ever proven to be effective.

Bizarre homeopathic listings were first uncovered by MailOnline two years ago, and prompted the retail giant to take down some listings.

But British and US Amazon customers can still buy bizarre homeopathic products today, including syphilinum for just $9.99 (£7.20).  

It is traditionally made from the diluted ‘pus obtained from a syphilitic ulceration’ — a blister caused by syphilis — and works better at higher potencies, according to the Homeopathic Recorder.

The journal, which is not peer-reviewed, was created by a society set up to preserve the teachings of German doctor Samuel Hahnemann, considered to be the founding father of homeopathy before he died in the 1800s. 

Homeopathy advocates say syphilinum can be prescribed to treat not only syphilis but constipation, asthma and menstruation pains. 

One of the now-removed syphilinum products sold by Birmingham-based firm Urenus has received several five-star ratings on Amazon, with a verified customer saying ‘right way I saw results’.  

Likewise, Urenus also sells psorinum — made from the pus of human scabies blisters, which are caused by mites burrowing under the skin.

The so-called remedy is supposed to treat heart complaints and eczema. It costs the same amount as syphilinum.

And the company is also listing hundreds of other remedies derived from human body parts, including diseased cancer tissue (carcinosinum) and urethral discharge from men with gonorrhea (medorrhinum).

Carinosinum is said to cure indigestion, as well as pain in the mammary glands and uterus.

Medorrhinum is said to cure chronic pelvic disorders in women, joint pain and even help children grow.

Amazon also had listings for a solution made of the intestinal secretion of a sperm whale — commonly known as ‘whale vomit’ — for $24.99 (£18.02).

There are six listings for ambra grisea on Amazon, with Malaysian firm MyBestDeals listing a 11ml ‘medicine’ for $24.99 with $9.99 shipping (£25.21 in total). 

It is supposed to help heal shyness, bladder and rectum pain among other unrelated conditions.

The remedy is made from a heavily dissolved ambergris, a natural byproduct specific to sperm whales.

The hard substance can build up in a whale’s rectum for decades and is commonly referred to as ‘whale vomit’ because it is believed to be regurgitated by the animals many times before it is passed.

It has a fecal smell when it is first passed but takes on an earthy sweet aroma as it dries out, which historically made it popular as an incense in ancient Egypt. 

The substance is usually found washed up on shorelines or in the sea, but some homeopaths have been known to search the carcasses of dead sperm whales to harvest it. 

Carinosinum — made of dissolved human breast cancer tissue — is said to cure pain in the mammary glands, uterus and from indigestion. Homeopathic doctors also claim it can reduce wait loss in cancer patients

Carinosinum — made of dissolved human breast cancer tissue — is said to cure pain in the mammary glands, uterus and from indigestion. Homeopathic doctors also claim it can reduce wait loss in cancer patients

Medorrhinum is made out of the urethral discharge of men with gonorrhea. The US-based National Center for Homeopathy says it can treat asthma, epilepsy, warts, period pain and even psoriasis

Medorrhinum is made out of the urethral discharge of men with gonorrhea. The US-based National Center for Homeopathy says it can treat asthma, epilepsy, warts, period pain and even psoriasis

Lac caninum is prepared from the milk of dogs. Advocates say it can treat gonorrhoea and varicose veins, among other ailments

Lac caninum is prepared from the milk of dogs. Advocates say it can treat gonorrhoea and varicose veins, among other ailments

WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF HOMEOPATHY? 

Homeopathy was first coined in 1807 by German doctor Samuel Hahnemann, and focuses on three principles: like cures like, dilution, and ‘water remembers.’

Dr Hahnemann believed that medicine in his time was doing more harm than good, so he began to conduct experiments on volunteers and himself.

One such experiment included eating the bark of a cinchona tree, which was then used as a treatment for malaria. Scientists have since found that this bark contains quinine, an antimalarial drug.

After eating some of the bark, Hahnemann experienced symptoms which he likened to those of malaria, spawning the first principle ‘like cures like.’

The doctor thought that if a substance in large doses causes certain symptoms, it can be used in small doses to cure them.

According to the British Homeopathy Association, the remedies are used by over 200 million people worldwide to treat both acute and chronic conditions.

Urenus also has four listings for tuberculinum bovinum — derived from cows’ glands that are infected with tuberculosis. The remedy is said to cure stubborn intermittent fevers and difficulties with breathing.

Critics slammed all the homeopathic remedies listed on Amazon for misleading customers, with many listed as medicines.

And this could be potentially dangerous if people assume the products can actually be used to treat serious conditions instead of using recognised medicines. 

Professor Ernst told MailOnline: ‘None of these remedies have ever been shown to be effective against any condition. 

‘If Amazon or other firms sell such products, implying they are medicines, they mislead consumers. 

‘And if people assume that such remedies are effective treatments for serious diseases, they might even risk their lives. 

‘Homeopathic remedies are typically so highly diluted that they do not contain a single molecule of the often exotic ingredients advertised on the bottle.’ 

Asked why unproven remedies continued to be sold on Amazon two years after MailOnline first drew attention to the issue, the company said companies found to be breaking its guidelines could face being banned.

It took down some of the flagged products at the time but would not say how many and did not punish the sellers further.

Two years later, it today took down three products flagged by MailOnline.

It said: ‘Third party sellers are independent businesses and are required to follow our selling guidelines when selling in our store. 

‘Those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account.’

source: dailymail.co.uk