Online vendors have reportedly removed effervescent tablet of taurine which had been marketed as a “love pill” overnight after a Shanghai college student was investigated by police for reportedly attempting to poison his female schoolmate using the substance on Sunday.

The student surnamed Yin, 21, from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) placed some effervescent tablets of taurine into a female student’s coffee cup, with physical evidence being sent for further examination, according to a statement released on Monday by Shanghai police.

Yin said he has purchased the tablet online. 

The Global Times found that a variety of taurine effervescent tablets being publicly sold on e-commerce platforms were marked as "sports drinks", or "health food", while there were a few products labeled as "love pills” which vendors claimed can improve a women’s sexual desire.

Taurine effervescent tablets contain taurine, caffeine, niacinamide, inositol, vitamin b1b2, which work to relieve tiredness and ease pain, but not act as an aphrodisiac, local media paper.cn reported, citing a pharmacist.

At present, most taurine effervescent tablets linked to false promotional information and vulgar content have been removed from e-commerce platforms, according to media reports.

Global Times