Norfolk County Council's trading standards staff led inspections across the county, including Lynn and Swaffham, as part of a crackdown on alternative medicine sellers providing products which may be banned or potentially harmful.

The multi-agency checks also involved police, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, environmental health officers and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

The checks took place at 14 premises across the county, including Chinese herbalists and other alternative healthcare providers, and products were seized from six for further testing.

They included a suspected endangered orchid species and musk oil which comes from the endangered musk deer. Trading Standards has also taken 14 samples of food for testing.

Similar checks carried out last year found some herbalists in Norfolk selling dried squirrel faeces, aristolochia (a herb which can cause liver and kidney failure), herbal "Viagra" with an active ingredient which can cause serious health problems to people with heart conditions, and medicines which should only be presecribed by a GP.

"More and more consumers are seeking alternative products and treatments to supplement conventional healthcare methods.

"While the majority of practitioners operate safely and within the law, we were concerned that this trade sector was not being monitored closely enough, compared to other highly-regulated medicine and food industries," said David Collison, head of the county's trading standards department.

A business pack aimed at traders in alternative treatments is available at www.nor folk.gov.uk (follow the trading standards link) or on 0844 800 8013.