Kamini: What you need to know

Emergency departments and doctors in New Zealand told us that they were seeing more people seeking help for opioid overdose, withdrawal, and addiction after using kamini. We spoke with Daljeet and Harpreet (not their real names) and with Winner from Asian Family Services to find out more. 

What is kamini? 

Kamini is an opioid-containing remedy that is suggested to increase men’s vitality and sexual function. It is also referred to as Kamini Vidrawan Ras, and commonly contains opium alkaloids such as codeine, morphine, and papaverine. 

It is sometimes used by people who follow Ayurveda.  

"It is famous and commonly used in Punjab, people also use it as a sexual enhancer supporting sexual dysfunction/ male infertility. Only men are using it.  I think that every Indian grocery stores has it, someone told me the Indian barber shops also sell them at a large scale but there is no enforcement by NZ Police.  Every single shop is on high alert, because they know it’s illegal but as it’s under the table there is no proof of selling and no one’s doing anything about it in terms of enforcement.” – Harpreet

What does kamini contain? 

These products contain varying amounts of opioids and dangerous heavy metals such as lead and mercury have also been detected. 

In February 2024, New Zealand’s National Public Health Service reported on a spike in people with lead poisoning after taking kamini. Medsafe released a similar alert in March 2024 that there were eight notified cases of lead poisoning in people taking Ayurvedic medicines in New Zealand. They stated that, “Some of these people have been extremely unwell, with symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and constipation.” 

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) released a safety advisory in June 2023 after finding dangerous poisons and prescription only medications. Analysis of kamini tablets found between 2 and 20mg of opium within the tablets – levels that could easily cause an accidental overdose. 

What are the effects? 

As expected from an opioid-containing product, people experience relaxation, pain relief, and euphoria. Opioid substances are depressants that slow down body functions like breathing and heart rate. They can also cause people to lose their appetite. 

“People who use it feel relaxed, energised, and less tired [at the] end of a working day…I have two people who used it and say it made them sick. One was vomiting and other felt nauseous and lost appetite.” – Daljeet 

“I have heard from some who says they are aware of some started it as an aphrodisiac but I have not had anyone admitted it either way if it works or if it is true.” – Daljeet 

“Students coming in on student visa are start taking it due to stress of settlement, people offering it to them - they are also susceptible to taking these substances.  Once they start trying them, they get hooked and this causes a lot of future problems.  They don’t know the addictive nature of these substances and no awareness of what’s in them.” Harpreet 

What are some of the potential harms? 

Winner Tian from Asian Family Services says to “be aware that ‘herbal’ is a label and does not mean without risk.” 

These products may not outline all the ingredients on the label, and some do not disclose that the product contains opioids. The opioid-products and heavy metals that have been detected in kamini products can be very dangerous. 

The varying amounts of opioids in kamini make it difficult for a person to know how much they are taking. This increases the risk of accidental overdose, and unfortunately, opioid overdoses can be fatal. 

The risk of accidentally overdosing is high after a person has stopped using for some time. This is because our bodies both build up and lose tolerance to opioids quickly. After taking a break from opioids, going back to the same dose could be fatal.  

Regular use of opioids can cause a person to become dependent on them, and need to take more over time as their body builds up a tolerance. This can become very costly, Daljeet says that in their experience, “Most people start with half a tablet daily, and I have heard on extreme, end up to 20 plus tablets daily that can cost over $100 per day.”