Two women have been left seriously ill after drinking aloe vera
juice contaminated with horse tranquilliser, it has been
revealed.
The health drink, which was contaminated with ketamine,
reportedly left one of the women, aged 60, in a "vegetative state".
She and another women, in her 40s, suffered a reaction to the drink
they are thought to have purchased at a Leicester school fair.
The women are in Leicester Royal Infirmary and their condition
is said to be satisfactory.
A Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman said: "The HPA is
advising anyone who has a bottle of this liquid not to drink it and
take it to the nearest police station. If they have drunk it they
should seek medical advice immediately."
The 60-year-old women's daughter said she feared her mother was
dying after she suffered a bad reaction to the drink. She said:
"She was basically in a vegetative state. They thought she might
have bleeding on the brain. I thought, 'That's it'."
Leicestershire Police said the drink was called Gayatri aloe
vera.
Detectives said consumers should treat with caution any juice
labelled as aloe vera which is not purple.