A Chinese doctor [Tan Qindong] is under investigation for describing as “poison” a “medicinal liquor” that has repeatedly been banned over false claims about its health benefits…after receiving a complaint from the Hongmao Wine company, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The police statement said the company had complained about a blog post that “maliciously discredited” the wine…In February, the company’s advertisements were banned…as part of a crackdown…on food fraud and false advertising, the report added. In 2016, the company was ordered by authorities in Korla, Xinjiang, to suspend sales of the product for exaggerating its benefits, according to an article on Sina.com...Beijing Youth Daily said the detention was because his comments had “damaged the reputation of the business”.

Accountants hired by police to assess the company’s losses concluded that the defamation resulted in a direct loss of just under 1.3 million yuan (US$207,000) – a figure Tan’s lawyers contested, saying that more evidence was needed.

On March 12 Tan submitted a petition to the Liangcheng county police stating his post was published to advise elderly people against believing Hongmao’s advertising…He accepted that his use of the word “poison” could be inappropriate, but insisted his post was factually correct…Tan’s article was published in December and said the liquor…contained 67 different Chinese herbal medicines, many of which were toxic…The company…could not be reached for comment.