By Nelson Badilla

Two companies dealing in “Ashitaba” herbal teas are headed for a showdown, with one brand threatening to file complaints against the other before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the courts.

Adelle Ang of the Adelle Ashitaba Tea, a brand already ordered by the FDA pulled out of the market, yesterday branded as fake the counterpart products of rival brand ABS Herbs Jerusalem Ashitaba Tea.

She said their lawyer Lorna Filipino is in the process of completing their evidence to show the ABS brand has been using leaves other than “Ashitaba.”

Ang said the “Ashitaba” leaves in the other brand taste more like malunggay (Moringa) and tanglad (lemon grass).

According to the findings of the two laboratory tests, the “Ashitaba” leaves in ABS were not really “Ashitaba.”

“The spectrum of the example [of the product ABS Herbs Jerusalem Ashitaba Tea] does not correlate to the spectrum of the standard [of an Ashitaba],” read the test results.

The same tests identified the contents of ABS as “malunggay” and “tanglad.”

Ang claimed Adelle Ashitaba Tea is the “original and pure” Ashitaba Tea that have long been patronized by many customers like one Lourdes Rivera, an 80-year-old diabetic person.

Rivera said that “the Adelle Ashitaba Tea has been proven 100 percent effective because it effectively helped control her blood sugar level.”

Ang expressed disappointment after the Adelle Ashitaba Tea products had been pulled out from the market due to the decision of the FDA apparently in favor of the ABS brand.