Healing Plants Ltd: Scam.

The second-to last last scam I uncovered, Gordon's Herbal Research Center, used some bad creative writing to tell an "interesting" background story about the origin of (all) their product(s).  That meant for me, that post was somewhat amusing to write, because I could take the piss out of them quite freely, although it was a bit like shootng fish in a barrell.

The last scam operators, Solutions by Nature, had ripped off much of their content from an Acne product, which may or may not be legitimate.  It was less interesting to write, but at least there was something of a challenge there;  you know, a little bit of mental stimulation for the Sick Mother.  (I need to be getting something out of this too, you know!  My motives are not totally unselfish!)

Healing Plants Ltd just bores me, Period. The most interesting thing on these sites is the picture of a peaceful and remote-looking pond, which is lovely. 
 
And funnily enough, most of their text, including the testimonials (exactly the same for all 29 products!) are lifted from a natural Acne treatment! (I don't know if this one is legitimate, BTW.   I haven't researched it).

In short, There is a terrible lack of imagination going on here.

**yawn**

I'm bored.

But for those of you who might have stumbled onto OSM looking to verify the authenticity of this company or any of their products: Don't waste your money. It's a total scam. Here are the details:

Healing Plants Ltd

9 Crofts Ave, Suite V 13
Hurstville NSW 2220
Australia

This is the list of their scam sites (last updated Sept 6th 2009)

Abdominal Adhesions	http://www.domnofax.com/testimonials.html
Achlasia	http://www.lasnofax.com/testimonials.html
Actinic Keratosis	http://www.acnofax.com/testimonials
Actinic Keratosis	http://www.gravnofax.com/testimonials.html
Atrial Fibrillation	http://www.atnofax.com/testimonials.html
Bronchiectasis	http://www.bronofax.com/testimonials.html
Bullous Pemphigoid	http://www.pemnofax.com/ testimonials.html
Burning mouth syndrome	http://www.monofax.com/testimonials.html
Cellulitis	http://www.cellnofax.com/ testimonials.html
Cellulitis	http://www.cellnofax.com/testimonials.html
Costrocondritis	http://www.lenofax.com/testimonials.html
Delayed Ejaculation	http://www.delenofax.com/ testimonials.html
Epididymitis	http://www.didnofax.com/ testimonials.html
Eye bags	http://www.cirnofax.com/testimonials.html
Flatulence	http://www.lenofax.com/testimonials.html
Granuloma annulare	http://www.lomnofax.com/testimonials.html
Grave's Disease	http://www.gravnofax.com/ testimonials.html
Grave's disease	http://www.gravnofax.com/testimonials.html
Guillain-Barre Syndrome	http://www.gebnofax.com/testimonials.html
Hand Tremors	http://www.shivnofax.com/
Hernias	http://www.nenofax.com/testimonials.html
Hyperhidrosis	http://www.hinofax.com/testimonials.html
Keloids	http://www.kelnofax.com/testimonials.html
Keratosis Pilaris	http://www.kernofax.com/ testimonials.html
Keratosis Pilaris	http://www.lasnofax.com/testimonials.html
Lichen Planus	http://sanofax.com/testimonials.html
Lipoma	http://www.naplofax.com/testimonials.html
Melasma	http://www.melnofax.com/testimonials.html
Myasthenia Gravis	http://www.megnofax.com/testimonials.html
Osteomyelitis	http://www.osnofax.com/testimonials.html
Pemphigus	http://phemnofax.com/testimonials.html
Peyronie's Disease	http://www.peyrenofax.com/testimonials.html
Post-Polio Syndrome	http://www.posnofax.com/testimonials.html
Prickly heat	http://temnofax.com/testimonials.html
Retinitis Pigmentosa	http://www.metnofax.com/testimonials.html
Sebaceous Cyst	http://www.sebnofax.com/testimonials.html
Seborrheic Keratosis	http://www.kenofax.com/testimonials.html
Sjogrens Syndrome	http://www.gronofax.com/testimonials.html
Urethritis	http://www.urethnofax.com/ testimonials.html
Uveitis	http://veinofax.com/testimonials.html

As usual we see a pattern:  The products all end in "ofax", and the same diseases are cropping up: Sjogren's, Myasthenia Gravis, Achlasia, Guillain-Barre, Peyronie's.  These crop up again and again in my research. As usual, all the sites are identical except for the disease name, there is no contact phone number and all payment is through CCNow.

I am seriously starting to wonder if CCNow is legit.

Again, we also see that the same formulations of herbs are re-used several times to treat vastly different conditions. According to these guys, Uveitis, Keratosis Pilaris, Abdominal Adhesions, Achlasia, Peyronie's Disease, and Myasthenia Gravis can all be treated with "clear improvement within days" by taking their special formulation, which is a mixture of:

Cloves
Black salt
"Ammonii Chloridum" (sic) - HELLO!  this is the stuff they warn you about when you mix the wrong cleaning solutions (i.e. ammonia and bleach)  
Lake salt, (more salt!  We are 2/4 for salt right now!)
Ginger
black pepper
"Potassi Carbona" (sic)  which is also known as potash, pearlash or salt of tartar,
giant milkweed
"Soddi Biboras" (sic)  -no clue ...  It may refer to  Sodium tetraborate AKA Borax or E285, banned for human consumption in the USA.
Asafoetida - a spice used in cooking and said to help flatulence.

All those seasonings and spices! It sounds more like a dry rub than a medicine.  I wonder if it tastes good?  I might even be tempted try it on ribs; -but for the Ammonium chloride, borax and giant milkweed, which are poisonous.

Oh and BTW, add up all the salt, and you have about 1/5 of the Recommended Daily Allowance in a daily dose of that stuff (i.e. two pills), Perfect for the small percentage of the population who suffers with LOW blood pressure! Although I am sure any health benefits which result in taking this stuff would be purely accidental.

And if you are STILL considering using any of these products after all I just said; I wish you the very best of luck.

You will really, really need it.

Comments

[Elizabeth Dracopoulos]

Funny you should query this site. I was researching blepharitis (eye problem) and found three products all with amazing claims - Australia, NZ and Denmark but none of the companies including the Healing Plants Ltd mob (product Phalnofax) have a telephone contact. Email only - I thought, correct me if I am wrong, that some trading law requires a telephone contact has to be on site where money/goods transactions are effected. Who investigates this kind of stuff?

[One Sick Mother]

Elizabeth,

I am not sure what are the local trading regulations for Australia (or any of the other countries). I have complained to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) several times about Healing Plants Ltd, and basically been told to shut up.

I am not sure why this is. It could be because I am not an Australian citizen or resident or because the case may be a little complicated for their delicate sensibilities. I just know I got nowhere.

However -in their defence- they at least responded to me, which is more than the NZ or Danish authorities did.

OSM

[Leigh farquhar]

Oh Boy ! did I find you too late ! I have Fibomyalgia rheumatica , and the constant pain was getting me down ( unable to take prednisalone) . I found HP , wish I hadnt ! have parted with my cash, they arrived in a dirty envelope, with dirty cotton wool from PAKISTAN!! I think NOT I wont be touching them . Am going to try to get my money back wish me luck

Cheers
Leigh

[mgh]

just saved me $100 odd thank you and there is only one herbal treatment not necasarily legal in australia but hey any excuse to get stoned ay mate

[Nicky]

Oh, no...looks like i'm going to be ripped off!!! I ordered dunofax for vocal chord nodules...oh dear, wish I read this blog earlier.

[Elizabeth Dracopoulos]

I forgot I posted a comment on this website. I think maybe it is the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) a department of the Australian Government who handles complaints about dodgy products though I think you have to suffer some kind of problem from either taking them or maybe receiving a dirty parcel with tablets from Pakistan would be something they would look at. So, Leigh, try and get your money back...talk to Consumer Affairs as well and consider reporting the matter to the TGA website www.tga.gov.au. Good luck.

[Brad]

Ironically I discovered that these guys were a scam before finding this blog. My father has atrial fibrillation and he passes everything through me as a sort of filter. He gave me three websites and I realized pretty quickly that this one was a scam. Their atronax and sebnofax products list a lot of herbs, the descriptions for each come mostly from wikipedia. One came from a wiccan encyclopedia. I noticed that a couple had a lot of � symbols which meant they were copied and pasted while others had none. It was the second thing that raised my suspicions (the first being that their money back guarantee didn't require sending unused portions of product back).

Anyway another site I am looking at for my father is Rillical.com. Wish me luck!

[One Sick Mother]

Nicky,

Contact your credit card company and aske them to intervene.

Elizabeth,
Thanks for that information.

Brad
Rillical is a scam: http://onesickmother.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/07/solutions-by-nature-scam.html

And -just to save you the research- so is flemeton:
http://onesickmother.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/07/gordons-herbal-research-center-scam.html

OSM

[lebogang]

thank you for alerting other people i was about to order the product but what supriced me is their testimomy non of the people are not having a story to tell

[Louise Buckley]

Yes im one of the suckers that got ripped off with this scam. I have suffered from Achlasia for 10yrs now, i was so excited when i heard a cure for this disease i just had to have these herb(salt tablets)i couldnt sleep when i found out i was so excited i was going to have a normal life again. Now im in tears that im going to suffer with Achlasia till the day i die. These bastards of a company should be shot. Thanks to your web site for the warning. I have asked for my money back, good luck on that one. I had to cancel my credit card. What a headache. Thanks again. Louise, Qld , Australia

[One Sick Mother]

Louise,

It is stories like yours that break my heart and almost make me feel guilty for exposing these scams because of the hope that gets dashed whenever somebody reads them.

I do hope you get your money back. And please dont stop looking for treatment and relief.  Watch the legitimate research. A treatment may yet be found.

OSM

[mousa]

dear friends.
do any one know that this site is a scam

http://www.lifex.com/appear.html

I hope to get a respond on my e mail
[email protected]

[sekar]

Thanks, you saved my money

[Gunasekaran]

Thanks, Dear This is Gunasekaran from Clubstoday.com. when iam seeing this article i thought to purchase it, Gods Grace by read your article i got saved. thans a lot

[Coral Horton]

I am still waiting for my product..I will contact the credit card co. to see if they can get my money back..wish I had read the blog first!

[Tina Sturges]

I am in contact with my credit card company every day to stop a transaction I made for trigical Monday. I am desparate and did a stupid thing. I hope they can stop this order.Trigeminal Neuritis is so painful.

[Anton Veenstra]

I bought the Flemeton product as I have atrial fibrillation. I don't see myself as a gullible person [lol]. The product took a month to arrive; it was franked Lahore Pakistan. This agrees with people who say the Flemeton site is under a Pakistani ISP. Flemeton has its supposed source as Gordon's Herbal Research Center. The bottle when I got it had NO ingredient weights listed, tho the website listed herbs and their weights. The bottle listed NUX VOMICA and HENBANE as being included. NV is banned for internal use in the US and Australia. I'm demanding a refund, so far no joy.