A serious case of lead poisoning has prompted health authorities to issue an urgent warning about a banned substance being illegally imported and sold as complementary medicine.

SA Health said a patient presented to hospital after consuming the product labeled Multani Kaminividravana Rasa, also known as Kamini, which also contained “high levels” of mercury.

The product was allegedly manufactured overseas and sold to the patient at a South East Asian supermarket in Adelaide.

The department said the substance was sold in dark lozenges which, although marketed as a “powerful stimulant” to counter “weakness and lack of vigor and vitality”, posed a “significant health risk”.

Although SA Health said it could not release certain details about the case, it confirmed the patient had since been discharged from hospital and was now being cared for at home.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has already warned about the product, saying tests found ingredients “listed as dangerous poisons.”

SA Health director of protection and regulation Chris Lease said because the product was not regulated it could contain “a potpourri of harmful ingredients” which could be fatal.

“Kultani Kaminividravana Rasa tablets should never be ingested.

“They have not been assessed by the TGA for quality, safety or effectiveness, as required by Australian law.”

Previous public health warnings about Kamini have been issued in recent years, including after at least a dozen people who had become addicted to the product sought help for withdrawal symptoms in southeast Queensland .

SA Health said authorities had informed hospital emergency departments and GPs about the lead poisoning case, and urged them to be careful about blood lead testing “for patients with relevant symptoms”.

Although the supply of the tablets into Australia was illegal, they were “being imported and sold clandestinely in some grocery stores and online”, he added.

“The TGA is working with Australian Border Force to help prevent shipments of product from entering Australia,” SA Health said.

The department said anyone who suspects serious lead poisoning or an opioid overdose should seek emergency medical attention.