Wind Rush Tea ordered to be fully removed from shelves by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, sparking controversy over plans to classify it as a drug

Many people who visit Penghu for sightseeing have tried the local specialty "Wind Rush Tea," but a recent official letter from the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare has required that this drink, with its distinctive flavor and its ability to clear heat and reduce internal fire, be completely removed from shelves, and it may even be classified as a "drug." Local business operators and residents in Penghu do not understand why Wind Rush Tea would be considered a drug; opinions differ among the various units within the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with the Food and Drug Administration insisting that it must first be confirmed that Wind Rush Tea has no safety concerns, while the ministry's Committee on Chinese Medicine and others all believe that Wind Rush Tea is of course a food and should not be listed as a drug.

Many tea beverage-related business operators in the Penghu area received a "Questionnaire on Whether Wind (Fragrant) Rush Tea Is a Non-Traditional Food Ingredient" in the middle of last month. The Penghu County Health Bureau stated that the Food and Drug Administration requires that, before it is determined whether Wind Rush Tea is a food or a drug, all Wind Rush Tea must be removed from shelves and sales must be suspended. (See the end of the article for the questionnaire content.)

Penghu Business Operators and Residents Are Dissatisfied, Questioning Whether This Benefits Drug Companies

"This is a drink we have drunk since childhood and our ancestors drank too. How could it possibly be Chinese medicine? That's ridiculous!" said Chen Cheng-ping, owner of the well-known Penghu Wind Rush Tea business "Grandma's Tea." He said he had never heard that Wind Rush Tea had medicinal effects, and that drinking it in large quantities would not cause any physiological reaction, "just like herb tea or grass jelly tea." If Wind Rush Tea were to be classified as a Chinese medicinal material, the Penghu Wind Rush industry would suffer severe losses.

"How can this be so strange? Does that mean we won't be able to sell Wind Rush Tea in summer anymore?" said Wu Li-zhi, a Penghu farmer who often picks Wind Rush Tea to sell and to drink at home. Drying Wind Rush grass, boiling it, and selling it is an important source of income for many Penghu residents, and if sales are prohibited, the lives of many elderly people will become even harder. A farmer who grows Wind Rush grass on a large area and did not wish to be named went further, saying, "People in Penghu are already poor enough. Now we can't even sell a 30-yuan can of Wind Rush Tea?! The Ministry of Health and Welfare is bullying us hardworking people and benefiting drug companies!"