Ramchandre Damle of Southall, Middlesex, 48, has been given a six-month sentence suspended for two years for supplying herbal medicines without holding a marketing authorisation.

Mr Damle pleaded guilty to three counts of supplying DBCare, BControl and SXPower. Invoices showed that Mr Damle's company had received approximately £70,000 from unauthorised sales of the products between 2005 and 2008.

The MHRA first became aware of the issue after the website was advertised in the Pravasi Times. Following a review of the medicines, the company was ordered to withdraw the products from sale.

But further investigation revealed the company had not done so and was intending to place stocks of all three medicines on the market.

The MHRA had previously issued a warning over one of the products, DBCare, as it claimed it could enable patients to stop taking their prescribed diabetic medication.

MHRA head of herbal medicine policy Richard Woodfield said: "This case is an example of very poor practice in part of the unlicensed herbal sector and shows the risk that can arise where serious unauthorised claims are made for unlicensed herbal products."

MHRA head of operations Danny Lee-Frost also condemned the offence.

"The conscious supply of dangerous products such as these proves that some individuals and companies will blatantly flout regulations in order to make money," he commented. "They have no consideration for their customer's health, nor are they healthcare professionals. Their only motivation is financial gain."