Does Khun Prao herbal tea help with weight loss, as has been widely advertised on Thai social media? No, that's not true: The product may mislead viewers because it is registered as a tea product. According to the Food and Drug Administration regulations, it cannot be advertised as being able to change body shape or aid in weight loss.
The claim appeared in numerous videos on TikTok, such as here (archived here) and here (archived here), presented as advertisements for Khun Prao tea. The first clip, posted on July 25, 2023, demonstrates the preparation of the product and includes on-screen captions (translated from Thai to English by Lead Stories staff) claiming:
Reduces belly fat.
Reduces sodium.
Improves digestion.
It comes with several hashtags such as "slimming tea" and "good figure tea."
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Mar 14 18:18:15 2024 UTC)
In the second video, posted on TikTok on July 20, 2023, the claim states (as translated):
After consuming Khun Prao tea for 3-4 weeks, here are the results: Flattened belly, loose skirt.
It is also accompanied by hashtags #bellyreductiontea #slimmingtea.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Mar 14 20:33:20 2024 UTC)
Khun Prao Herbal Tea is registered with the Thai Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) as a "herbal tea", (archived here). According to the regulations (archived here), it is not allowed to advertise that the product can change the consumer's body shape, including weight loss or control of body fat.
Lead Stories called the FDA's information center on March 14, 2024, and was told the FDA has received many complaints about overhyped Internet advertisements of herbal tea products claiming weight loss properties. The agency has launched operations to take down these advertisements as they violate the law.
