National shuttler Lee Chong Wei was slapped with an eight-month ban after consuming a herbal medicine.

It was reported that the medicine was given to him by the wife of a "very influential man".

Speculation has been rife that the person responsible for the former world number one's predicament is Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Rosmah has often shown great support for Lee during tournaments.

However, Lee confirmed that it was not Rosmah who provided him with the tablets.

"Yes. I can confirm it is not her. However, I am not in liberty to reveal the name of the person (who gave him the tablets)," he told Malaysiakini .

"Now that there is an outcome from BWF (Badminton World Federation), I would like to put this episode  behind me and to focus on regaining my status and bring glory to my country," he said.

A source familiar with the matter told Malaysiakini that it was the wife of a former top BN politician.

"This person had given him the herbal concoction without realising that its contents would cause problems.

"There was no malice on her part. It was just an honest mistake," he said.

The source, however, requested that Malaysiakini do not publish the name of the former politician or his wife in order not to put the couple in the spotlight.

Scrutiny on BAM

According to the 12-page BWF report, the wife would purchase cordyseps and have them ground and capsulated at a shop in Kuala Lumpur.

Lee would consume two every morning.

The report said Lee named the wife in camera to avoid having her face any dire consequences.

The shop owner who treated the cordyseps acknowledged that there could be a risk of contamination, but did not give the BWF a statement over fears that it would affect his business.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) officials were aware that Lee was taking the capsules after the wife begun sending them, but did not subject the capsules for testing.

"It is worrying if he has received unsatisfactory anti-doping education from BAM or other sources and/or the focus on anti-doping security has been unsatisfactory," the BWF report said.

The BWF had found Lee guilty of having the non-performance enhancer dexamethasone in his system. The drug is normally used as an anti-inflammatory drug during the off-season.