NYC issues warning after aphrodisiac kills man

Still think you know what a healthy supplement is?

"Health officials are warning New Yorkers to stay away from an illegal aphrodisiac made from toad venom after the product apparently killed a man.

The city's poison control center issued the warning Friday after receiving a hospital report that a 35-year-old man who ingested the hard, brown substance died earlier this month.

The product is sold under names including Piedra, Love Stone, Jamaican Stone, Black Stone and Chinese Rock at sex shops and neighborhood stores. It is banned by the Food and Drug Administration...

'There is no definitely safe way to use it,' said Dr. Robert Hoffman, director of the city's poison control center. 'Don't buy it. Don't sell it. If you have it, don't use it. Throw it out.'

The same type of product killed a 40-year-old man in Brooklyn in 2002 and at least four New Yorkers in the early 1990s. A 17-year-old boy also fell seriously ill, but survived following hours of aggressive treatment."

Welcome to the world of traditional Chinese medicine.

Caveat emptor.