The wife of a "very influential man" gave national shuttler Lee Chong Wei herbal medicine which resulted in his eight-month ban from competing.

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

Lee ( left )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.

According to Reuters , this was a risky practice, unheard of in most Olympic sports.

"From an athlete in such a prominent position the demands of caution to avoid negligence are expected to be very high.

"Even though he has been cautious, Lee Chong Wei has not met the required level," the BWF report said.

"Mr Lee exposed himself for a completely unnecessary risk of consuming illegal substance for many years."

No testing by BAM

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.

The report noted that Lee had been consuming cordyseps since his teenage years on advice of his mother.

Since Lee's suspension was backdated to August last year, when the drug test were administered, he will be able to compete from May 1 onwards.

Lee told reporters two days ago that he will now focus on qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.