Two Chinese were recently detained at Los Angeles International Airport, handcuffed and shut in a dark office for over 10 hours, after they had failed to declare a Chinese herbal medicine, which tested positive for cocaine, the World Journal, a Los Angeles based Chinese newspaper reported.

The traditional Chinese medicine consisted of 16 bottles of compound licorice tablets, a common herbal medicine that many Chinese families use to treat coughing and a sore throat.

The medicine was declared illegal by the Los Angeles customs because it failed a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) test.

The two Chinese citizens, Mr. Wu and his adolescent daughter from Zhejiang Province in southeast China, have been banned from entry to the United States for five years.

However, according to Ms. Yu, who lives in Los Angeles and asked Wu to bring the tablets for her daughter, the medicine, which was prescribed by doctors in China, should be safe to take and the five-year prohibition is too severe.

After hearing about Wu's custody, Yu and her lawyer rushed to the airport. But they were prevented by the local police from meeting Wu, who was repatriated to China with his daughter once they had been released. Yu is appealing for the abatement of the penalty.

Wu and his daughter are not the only people who have been caught out by trying to bring traditional Chinese medicine into the United States. Ms. Zhao, who is also a Los Angeles resident from China, recalled that the local customs confiscated 20 parcels of Chinese herbs, which contain saffron, leeches and scorpions, from her mother, who brought them in to treat her migraines.

A lawyer told the World Journal that Chinese people should not take anything in their luggage that is prohibited by U.S. customs and Chinese medicine is a controversial area.

Unless the medicine is prescribed by doctors and the amount is very small, U.S customs will confiscate and destroy all medicines which they cannot confirm are not narcotics, he said.

He also added that those who are prosecuted for drug trafficking face life imprisonment or a five year ban, which is considered a very light penalty. He also advised people not to take unfamiliar things at the request of friends, as this is not a solid reason in court.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, since not all overseas medicines have been tested by FDA, people should not bring them to the U.S. or they should declare what they have brought. If travelers need to take medicine during a trip, they should make sure the amount they bring is only what they need to use during that time. U.S. customs prohibits any medicines made from animal parts such as tiger bones, bear bile and swallow's nests.

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