Distillers in the southern Guangxi region were adding powder Viagra to their popular local strong liquor baijiu so that their three refined baijiu products have "health-preserving qualities," food safety officials said in a statement Sunday.
The two distilleries in the city of Liuzhou were searched by police and more than a ton of raw alcohol, 5,357 bottles of baijiu confiscated along with white powder labeled Sildenafil, famous worldwide by its commercial name Viagra. The total value of the confiscated product is about 700,000 yuan (almost $113,000). The police investigation of the two facilities is ongoing.
Baijiu is a popular traditional Chinese strong clear alcohol made from grains, usually 40-60% alcohol by volume. Viagra is a drug for treatment of erectile dysfunction, which is used restrictively at a maximum one dose a day or less.
