Federal regulators have expanded a safety alert to cover 25 dietary supplements marketed as tejocote root or Brazil seed that actually contain yellow oleander, a plant whose compounds can trigger fatal heart rhythms. The Food and Drug Administration added three more products to the list on August 12, 2026, and told consumers to stop using them and throw them away.
The agency warns that yellow oleander can cause neurologic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe, or even fatal. Products flagged in the alert are typically sold online as weight-loss aids under labels such as tejocote (Crataegus mexicana), Raiz de Tejocote, or Mexican Hawthorn.
The problem is not the tejocote plant itself, which is a Mexican hawthorn used in traditional foods. It is that laboratory testing has repeatedly found the powdered or pelletized product to be substituted with yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia, also known as Thevetia peruviana), an ornamental shrub whose seeds and leaves are among the most toxic plant materials known.
Why yellow oleander is so dangerous
Yellow oleander contains cardiac glycosides, the same class of compounds found in foxglove and in the heart medication digoxin. In therapeutic doses these molecules make the heart contract more strongly. In excess they poison it. Case reports in the medical literature describe convulsions, arrhythmias, atrioventricular block and ventricular fibrillation after ingestion.
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The glycosides work by blocking the sodium-potassium pump that keeps heart cells in electrical balance. Potassium accumulates in the blood, and the heart's rhythm can slip into patterns that stop it from pumping. Toxicology researchers note that a single yellow oleander seed carries a dose roughly equivalent to 100 digoxin tablets.
The contamination is not new. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report from September 2023 documented that nine of 10 supplements sold as tejocote root were substituted with yellow oleander. The FDA has been adding to its list of contaminated brands ever since.
What to do if you have one of these products
The FDA advises consumers to stop using any product on its alert page immediately, secure it so children or pets cannot reach it, and throw it away in a secure trash can with a tight fitting lid, after first double bagging the jar. Anyone who has already taken one of the products should contact a health care professional. Symptoms of poisoning to watch for include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, weakness, and any change in heartbeat.
Anyone who suspects poisoning should call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for free, 24-hour guidance, or dial 911 if symptoms are severe. Adverse events can also be reported to the FDA's MedWatch program.
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Brands named in earlier rounds of the alert include Chupa Panza, Alipotec Tejocote Root, Nutraholics ELV Tejocote Root, Niwali Raiz de Tejocote, and Brazil Seed Semilla de Brazil. Three more products were added on August 12, bringing the total to 25. Consumer advocates at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have argued that the agency's overall pace of supplement enforcement is too slow, noting that the FDA's last warning letter for a tainted dietary supplement was issued in 2009 despite hundreds of tainted products being detected since.
Dietary supplements in the United States do not go through pre-market approval by the FDA. That means anyone with concerns about a weight-loss product bought online should treat an unlisted brand with the same caution as a listed one until it can be verified with a doctor or pharmacist.
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This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.