Unmarked bottles of pills were found under the counter at a Chinese herbalists accused of selling banned medicines, a court heard.

Catering supervisor Sandra Stay had to have both kidneys removed after taking a Chinese medicine to treat a skin condition.

Hove Crown Court was yesterday told an investigator sent to check up on the Gou Yao Chinese Acupuncture Centre in St James's Street, Brighton, found eight bottles of pills subsequently found to contain traces of aristolochic acid, a banned substance.

Joe Kyne, of the Medicines Control Agency, said he went to investigate after Mrs Stay contacted the agency with her complaint. He found eight unmarked bottles containing brown glossy pills, which resembled ones he had been instructed to look for.

Mr Kyne told the court when he asked to see Mrs Stay's treatment records, they could not be found.

In a police interview, owner Zie Zheng, 37, said the documents had been destroyed because she was not a regular customer.

Mrs Zheng said: "When she started she would come every two weeks but when her condition did not get any better she did not come regularly."

She was asked what steps she took to ensure there was no aristolochic acid in her medicines.

She said: "We made special enquiries to China and they sent me samples, which they said definitely did not contain the banned substance."

During the fourth day of the trial David Lamming, defending, asked Mr Kyne in cross examination: "Were you not shown the bottles of medicine behind the counter?"

Mr Kybe said: "No. I found them myself."

Mr Lamming told the jury: "Mrs Zheng took steps to get rid of medicines containing aristolochic acid."

Mrs Stay, 59, turned to Chinese medicine for a severe skin complaint after Western treatment failed.

But she allegedly fell ill after taking pills and cream from the Kemp Town herbalist between October 1998 and January 2001. She now faces daily dialysis.

The trial continues.