Researchers found no ancient jade eggs, a lesson in telling cultural health stories truthfully

Key takeaways

• According to 2018 news reports, researchers who searched more than 5,000 jade objects in four U.S. museum collections found no vaginal eggs, undercutting a wellness company’s “ancient Chinese” story for its $66 eggs.
• The FTC says a traditional-use claim fits only when a product matches the tradition’s ingredients, form, dose and purpose, and it should never be used to claim a cure for serious disease.
• Permission to use a story once is not permission to use it everywhere: 41 Havasupai tribal members won a $700,000 settlement in 2010 after blood given for diabetes research was used for other studies.
• Name the specific nation or community, ask people how they want to be described, and credit the person who taught you.
• Keep two labels apart in every story: what a tradition holds, and what studies show.

In January 2017, the lifestyle company Goop began selling $66 jade eggs meant to be worn inside the vagina. Its marketing called them a “strictly guarded secret of Chinese royalty in antiquity,” used by queens and concubines¹.

A gynecologist, Jen Gunter, and an archaeologist, Sarah Parcak, decided to check that history. Their study appeared in 2018 in the journal Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery. We couldn’t open the paper itself, so the details here come from news coverage of it, chiefly a MinnPost report¹.

According to that report, the pair searched the databases of four major U.S. collections of Chinese art and archaeology, covering more than 5,000 jade items. None held a vaginal jade egg. The only jade egg they turned up was a Fabergé piece made after 1900, not for vaginal use¹.

The researchers concluded that, unless contrary evidence turns up, the ancient-origin story should be treated as a “modern marketing myth”¹. Separately, in September 2018, a group of California prosecutors settled with Goop for $145,000 in civil penalties over unsupported health claims about several products, the eggs among them¹.

The pitch went wrong twice. It made a health promise without proof, and it wore a real culture like a costume to sell the product.

Natural-health readers care about tradition, which is exactly why this matters. When a blog post, a class handout or a product page gets a culture wrong, it misleads you about your health. It also takes something from the people whose knowledge is being borrowed.

This guide is for anyone who tells health stories: bloggers, herbalists, group leaders, teachers, small sellers, and readers deciding what to trust. It draws on journalism ethics codes, Indigenous-led research principles and federal advertising rules.

Six ways health stories about other cultures go wrong

Most careless cultural storytelling falls into a few patterns. Once you know them, you will spot them everywhere.

Invented antiquity. “Ancient secret” sells because age sounds like proof. The FDA lists “ancient remedy” and tradition-as-proof among its red flags for health fraud. It also notes that some herbs used for centuries carry risks that were found only recently².

Exotic framing. Words like “mystical,” “primitive,” “untouched” or “remote tribe” turn real people into scenery. The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics asks writers to avoid stereotypes and to notice how their own values shape a story³.

Flattening. “Native American wisdom” treats hundreds of nations as one. The Native Governance Center, a Native-led nonprofit, counted 574 federally recognized Native nations in its 2021 guide⁵. A Native journalists’ guide stresses that every tribal nation is different⁴.

Stripped context. A remedy gets pulled away from its preparation, its dose, its ceremony and the person who traditionally gives it. What’s left is a capsule with a borrowed backstory.

Taking without asking. Photos of ceremonies, a healer’s words or a member’s healing story get shared without permission. Sometimes they travel far beyond where the person meant them to go.

Deficit framing. Some stories show a community only through poverty, disease or addiction. A guide for non-Native journalists warns against repeating those worn storylines instead of reporting on real people and real issues⁶.

Context is part of the remedy: what kava teaches

Kava shows why context isn’t decoration. Pacific Islanders have prepared kava drinks for thousands of years, for ceremony and for medicine, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)⁷.

Today kava is also sold in American kava bars and as a dietary supplement, often marketed for anxiety⁷. A pill bought online is a different product, used in a different setting, than a drink shared in a traditional ceremony.

Rare cases of liver injury, some serious or fatal, have been linked to kava products⁷. Early cases involved extracts made with alcohol or acetone, but some involved water-based drinks too⁷. NCCIH lists several suspected factors: the plant variety or part used, alcohol, contamination, genetic differences, and large or long-term doses⁷.

So a story that says “Islanders have used it for 3,000 years, so this pill is safe” fails in two directions. It ignores how differently the pill is made and used. And it treats a long history as a safety guarantee, which no tradition can provide on its own.

A respectful kava story describes where the plant comes from and how it’s traditionally shared. It also carries the cautions. NCCIH advises against mixing kava with alcohol or sedating medicines, flags concerns in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and suggests talking with a health care provider first⁷.

What journalists’ codes already ask of every storyteller

You don’t need a press badge to borrow the habits of careful reporters. The SPJ Code of Ethics, last revised in 2014, rests on four ideas: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent³.

Several of its points fit health storytelling closely³:

• Give context, and don’t oversimplify when you summarize or promote a story.
• Look for sources whose voices are rarely heard.
• Take cultural differences into account in how you approach people.
• Remember that private people have more right than public figures to control information about themselves.
• Keep advertising clearly separate from information, and label opinion and advocacy.

The Native American Journalists Association, now called the Indigenous Journalists Association, released its Tribal Nations Media Guide in October 2020⁴. Its context checklist asks reporters to understand a nation’s government, economy, geography, treaties, people and culture before telling its stories⁴.

The Native Governance Center’s language guide adds practical rules⁵. Use the name a nation uses on its own website. Describe a person by their specific nation, and ask if you’re not sure. Prefer “nation” to “tribe” as a sign of respect for sovereignty⁵.

The same guide says not to italicize Native-language words as if they were foreign. It also asks non-Native people to do their own homework before asking Native people to teach them, and to consider paying people for their time⁵.

Advice for journalists from the International Journalists’ Network adds two more habits. Check that an “expert” is from the community, and don’t parachute in for a quick story⁶.

Consent and credit: what the Havasupai case taught researchers

In 1989, members of the Havasupai Tribe in Arizona asked Arizona State University researchers for help with rising rates of diabetes⁸. About 100 tribal members gave blood and signed a broad consent form, believing their samples would be used to study diabetes⁸.

The researchers found no diabetes link, but research on the samples continued without new consent. The work expanded into mental disorders, and papers appeared on inbreeding, alcoholism and the tribe’s origins and migration⁸. The origin theories clashed with the tribe’s core beliefs, so the harm was cultural as well as legal⁸.

After seven years of litigation, 41 tribal members settled with the university in April 2010. The settlement included $700,000, the return of the blood samples, and help with scholarships and funding for a clinic⁸.

The lesson reaches far beyond genetics. Permission to use someone’s story, photo or knowledge for one purpose is not permission for every purpose, even when a form was signed.

Indigenous researchers have turned that lesson into principles. The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance were drafted at an Indigenous-led workshop in Botswana in November 2018 and released in 2019⁹. CARE stands for Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility and Ethics⁹.

In plain words, the community should benefit, and the community decides how its knowledge is shared. People who use that knowledge should build real relationships, and the community judges harms by its own values⁹.

International agreements point the same way. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007, affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to control and protect their cultural heritage and traditional knowledge, including medicines¹⁰. The United States was one of four countries that voted against it, and all four later reversed their positions¹⁰.

Communities now have tools to mark their own rules. The Local Contexts project offers Traditional Knowledge Labels, such as TK Attribution, TK Non-Commercial and TK Secret/Sacred, that tell outsiders how material may be shared¹¹. If you see one, follow it.

When the story sells something, federal rules apply

Once a cultural story helps sell a product, it becomes advertising. That brings in the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC’s Health Products Compliance Guidance, issued in December 2022, speaks directly to tradition¹⁴. Claims based on traditional use need the same proof as any other health claim. The product also has to match what the tradition used, down to its ingredients, strength, form and purpose. A product that departs from the tradition in a significant way can’t lean on that history¹⁴.

When a seller does mention traditional use, the FTC says the lack of scientific support should be stated clearly and close to the claim. Images or testimonials shouldn’t undercut that statement. And sellers shouldn’t make traditional-use claims about treating serious diseases, even with a disclaimer¹⁴.

Testimonials have their own rules. The FTC says a testimonial can’t carry a claim the seller couldn’t prove directly. An unusual result needs a clear statement of what most people can expect. Payment and other ties that readers wouldn’t expect must be disclosed¹⁴.

The FTC updated its Endorsement Guides in June 2023 to cover fake reviews and virtual influencers¹². In August 2024 it finalized a rule banning fake testimonials, including AI-generated ones and those from people who don’t exist or never used the product. Businesses that knowingly break it can face civil penalties¹³.

Keep the story and the evidence in separate columns

A cultural story can be true and meaningful while the health claim attached to it is unproven. The fix is to label each part clearly. Here is how claims from a single imaginary wellness post can land on very different rungs of the evidence ladder.

Claim you might read	Kind of claim	Evidence level
“Jade eggs were a secret of ancient Chinese royalty.”	History	Evidence says no: a reported search of more than 5,000 museum jade objects found none1
“Tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, helps prevent falls.”	Health, rooted in tradition	Strong evidence: a 2019 review found high-certainty evidence that it may cut the number of older adults who fall by about 20%15
“Kava supplements ease anxiety.”	Health	Promising but early: may help some anxiety, but doesn’t appear to help generalized anxiety disorder7
“Kava is safe because it’s traditional.”	Safety	Evidence says no, or unsafe: rare serious liver injury has been reported, including with water-based drinks7
“This remedy worked for me, so it works.”	Personal experience	Not enough evidence: the FTC says anecdotes alone are never enough to prove a health effect14

The tai chi row matters. Separating story from evidence isn’t a way to knock tradition down. Some traditional practices have earned strong evidence, and saying so with sources honors them more than vague praise does.

A checklist before you post, teach or sell

Run through these questions before you share a story about another culture’s health practice. A “no” or “I’m not sure” means slow down.

Who and where

• Have I named the specific nation, region or community instead of a broad label?
• Did I learn this from someone in that community, or only from a secondhand source?
• If I describe a person, do they know, and did they tell me how they want to be named?

Consent and credit

• Did the person agree to this use, not just to an earlier one?
• Is any part of it ceremonial, restricted, or marked with a community label?
• Have I credited the teacher or community by name, and shared the benefit if I earn money?

Context and evidence

• Have I described how the practice is traditionally prepared and used?
• If I’m describing a product, does it match the tradition’s ingredients, form and dose?
• Have I labeled what tradition holds separately from what studies show?
• Have I included safety cautions and told readers when to see a clinician?

Money

• If I’m paid, given free products or earning commissions, have I said so plainly?

Rewrite it: three before-and-after examples

These examples are invented for practice. Notice what changes: names get specific, claims get smaller and truer, and the reader learns whom to credit.

Before: “Discover the ancient Native American sleep secret that doctors don’t want you to know.”

After: “Herbalist [name], a citizen of the [nation’s name], shares the evening tea her grandmother made. She asked us to describe it as a family practice, not a cure. No clinical trials have tested this blend.”

Before: “Mystical healers in the remote Andes have used this root for 3,000 years. Now it’s yours in a capsule.”

After: “In parts of Peru, families cook [plant] as a food. Our capsule is a dried extract, a different form and dose than the traditional dish. Two small studies have tested it, with mixed results.”

Before: “Maria cured her arthritis in 30 days with our Ayurvedic blend.”

After: “Maria, who received a free bottle, says her knee felt better after a month. That’s her experience, not proof. This blend hasn’t been tested in clinical trials. Talk with your doctor before changing any arthritis treatment.”

Respect is a natural-health value, not an outside rule

Natural health at its best honors where knowledge comes from: the grandmother, the healer, the community that kept a practice alive through hard times. Telling those stories accurately is part of that respect.

It also protects you. A seller who invents a culture’s history has shown you how much the rest of the pitch is worth. A writer who names their teacher, describes the tradition with care and admits what hasn’t been tested has earned more of your trust.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Stories about other cultures’ healing practices can teach, comfort and connect. They go wrong when writers invent history, strip away context or take what wasn’t offered.

Name the people, ask before you share, credit your teachers, and label tradition and evidence separately. That is how a story honors a culture instead of using it.

Related reading

• How miracle-cure scams borrow the language you trust
• What an influencer is legally required to tell you
• Fake reviews became illegal in 2024, yet reviews still mislead you
• Most health products aren’t scams, but many just haven’t been proven
• Learning health skills together works when the group checks its facts

Sources

1. Perry S. “Vaginal jade eggs not only useless but potentially harmful.” MinnPost, 2018. minnpost.com
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “How to Spot Health Fraud.” FDA, 2018. fda.gov
3. Society of Professional Journalists. “SPJ Code of Ethics.” SPJ, revised 2014. studentmedia.nd.edu
4. Native American Journalists Association (now Indigenous Journalists Association). “NAJA releases Tribal Nations Media Guide for reporting on Indigenous communities.” 2020. indigenousjournalists.org
5. Native Governance Center. “How to Talk about Native Nations: A Guide.” Native Governance Center, 2021. nativegov.org
6. Alvarez D. “7 tips for non-Native journalists covering Indigenous communities.” International Journalists’ Network (IJNet), 2019. ijnet.org
7. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Kava.” NIH, 2025. nccih.nih.gov
8. Sterling RL. “Genetic Research among the Havasupai: A Cautionary Tale.” Virtual Mentor (AMA Journal of Ethics), 2011. journalofethics.ama-assn.org
9. Carroll SR, Garba I, Figueroa-Rodríguez OL, et al. “The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance.” Data Science Journal, 2020. datascience.codata.org
10. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (overview page and full text). United Nations, 2007. social.desa.un.org (full text: social.desa.un.org)
11. Local Contexts. “Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels.” Local Contexts. localcontexts.org
12. Federal Trade Commission. “Federal Trade Commission Announces Updated Advertising Guides to Combat Deceptive Reviews and Endorsements.” FTC, 2023. ftc.gov
13. Federal Trade Commission. “Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials.” FTC, 2024. ftc.gov
14. Federal Trade Commission. “Health Products Compliance Guidance.” FTC, 2022. ftc.gov
15. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Tai Chi: What You Need To Know.” NIH, 2023. nccih.nih.gov