"PARTY pills" being sold across Dorset could prove dangerous if mixed with illegal substances or alcohol, a drug expert has warned.

Dorset Police drug analyst Lee Griffiths said: "These pills contain plant extracts so they are not illegal. But they have similar effects as substances such as cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines and people should be aware of the dangers."

The pills are being distributed by Poole-based company Tribal Leaf, which sells them from its shops in Bournemouth and Poole. Another outlet is a local nightclub.

One product advertised on the company's website; Hawaiian Baby Woodrose, warns: "These seeds are extremely hallucinogenic if ingested in quantity. They contain a chemical called LSA which is a close relative of LSD."

Mr Griffiths said: "Selling or buying these products is not illegal as long as the purchaser isn't under 18. But just because they are available legally does not necessarily mean they are safe to use.

"Mixing any drug with alcohol produces very different effects and people should be very careful because they could suffer a bad reaction. We've had calls from concerned parents to say their children have purchased these pills.

"Hawaiian Baby Woodrose can be a very powerful mind-altering drug and extremely hallucinogenic. The pills come in smart packages and I'm concerned that a nightclub is selling them because it is important purchasers are given accurate advice."

Inspector Neil Devoto added: "Don't take any substance if you don't know what effect it is going to have on you. If you are taking these in nightclubs you have got to be extremely clear what they are and what effect they will have. I would urge people not to take anything in a nightclub."

A Bournemouth University student said: "These pills imitate the effects of class A drugs and clubbers take them for prosecution-free energy boosts.

"I haven't experimented with them but many of my friends have. Some have become ill after mixing them with alcohol. Although there are warnings on the packets, people still go out drinking.

"My friends buy them in Boscombe. The pills have become so popular one club has started selling them."

One user said: "The pills are like ecstasy, you see yourself like a fly on the wall which is weird."

Tribal Leaf Director Jay Onn said there was "a huge demand" for the pills. "They are a safe alternative to illegal drugs and not addictive," he stressed.

"As well as selling them in Bournemouth and Poole we distribute them to more than 100 outlets around the country, including a local nightclub.

"We have carried out research and don't want to make anybody ill. These pills are one of the safest legal stimulants around and if we thought they were dangerous we would withdraw them. There are warnings on our website and on packets so people know what they are getting.

"There is no proof they are harmful. I've never heard of anyone suffering side effects even in New Zealand where millions are sold each year.

"Ninety-five per cent of people who go to clubs drink alcohol or use some form of stimulant. I'd rather my 17-year-old son would buy products from one of our shops than experiment with illegal substances."