Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:36 am   Reply with quote      

LEAD CONTENT: This time Ayurvedic medicine is the culprit

While on the subject of lead poisoning, there's another source that few of us suspect - Ayurvedic herbal medicines. Researchers from Harvard Medical School tested a range of remedies, and discovered that 20% of them, 14 of the 70 tested, had high levels of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury and arsenic. One in five were also freely available in corner shops in Boston, the researchers found.
Each of the 70 that were tested was manufactured in south-east Asia, and were intended for oral use.
Similar results have been obtained when Ayurvedic herbal treatments have been tested in other countries. In the UK 30% of Ayurvedic remedies tested had high lead content, while another study found that of the 22 products purchased in India, 64% contained lead and mercury, and 41% had arsenic.
Supporters of Ayurvedic medicine might point to the fact that the remedies have been used for several thousand years, and today they are still taken by 80 per cent of the 1 billion population in the Indian sub-continent, presumably without obvious side effects.

Conspiracy theorists might also suggest that the study is remarkably helpful for the current lobby in the USA that is seeking to overthrow the DSHEA legislation, which safeguards the use of alternative remedies provided no health claims are made. Those who seek some controls might equally point to the cases of lead toxicity that have occurred among patients of Ayurvedic medicine.

But the statistics don't back up those who are seeking controls. Since 1978 just 55 cases of heavy metal intoxication from Ayurvedic and other herbal remedies have been reported from around the world. Prescription drugs are killing many more than that a day.

Of course two wrongs don't make a right, but it would be a wonderful day in heaven when researchers apply similar vigilance when they test drugs that are then deemed to be supposedly safe for us all to take.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2004; 292: 2868-73).

[From WDDTY]

Are these heavy metals coming from the ground or the water that is used to irrigate??

Sat Feb 12, 2005 6:59 pm   Reply with quote      

Given the fact that Ayurvedic herbal medicines contain lead, mercury and arsenic, should we avoid these Ayurvedic herbal medicines???

Mon Apr 18, 2005 8:59 pm   Reply with quote      

All the recent hoopla about heavy metals in ayurvedic medicines is, IMHO, BS and another attempt of corporate america to tremple on herbal holistic way of living. They would rather that we eat factory farmed chickens and eat genetically modified corn.

Ayurvedic medicines have been used for thousands of years. If you take any medicine (ayurvedic or not) in excess, you will have too much of the medicine constituent in your body. It is normal (so take medicine in prescribed amounts!).

Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:49 pm   Reply with quote      

But there is some amount of heavy metals?

Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:13 pm   Reply with quote      

All natural products contain trace amounts of the various earthy elements including iron etc., Many ayurvedic medicines make use of elements such as gold, silver, iron etc., when it is found that the patient is deficient in those elements or that he would benefit from some of these elements. It varies from medicine to medicine and patient to patient.


All ayurvedic medicines do not contain heavy metals period.

Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:16 pm   Reply with quote      

Heavy metals warning for ayurvedic herbs is a distraction from the real threats to your health

The people behind this announcement clearly have an agenda, and that agenda is to discredit all herbal remedies in an effort to call for new FDA oversight of herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. And they do that by scaring people with headlines that distort the true findings. These are just a handful of products sourced from India and Pakistan. There are not the Ayurvedic formulas made in the United States, Germany and other countries with higher quality standards. Just because you're buying Ayurvedic medicines doesn't mean that you're going to be getting heavy metals.


What this announcement fails to mention is that a whole lot of the food products in the United States is also contaminated with heavy metals. There was an article a few months ago about a girl in the United States who, for a science fair project, found heavy metal poisoning in canned foods made right here in the U.S. There was also another story about candy made in Mexico that contains lead as part of its coloring ingredient - it's being sold in the United States and it's perfectly legal, even though it is knowingly contaminated with lead.

Similarly, I also covered a story about Kellogg's putting a toy and batteries (made with mercury) in boxes of Spiderman cereal and refusing to remove those batteries even after health authorities warned Kellogg's about the potential health dangers.

More here...http://www.newstarget.com/003837.html

Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:50 pm   Reply with quote      

I don't know why you're getting so agitated, Shilajeet!

If you'll read the original article properly, you'll find that that is exactly what was being suggested! That there's a hidden agenda.

Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:49 pm   Reply with quote      

I just wanted all to know that there is more to the story. I have taken ayurvedic medicines, herbs for various conditions through my life and I have no complains whatsoever.

Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:53 pm   Reply with quote      

Point taken, shilajeet.

Also given the current healthcare industry's business practice, there are number of good reasons why you get agitated.

Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:14 pm   Reply with quote      

Is there any regulation of ayurvedic products in India? It sounds like it could have been a bad sample (lot) that is causing all these. I am sure there are several incidents of drugs in the west causing serious side effects similar to this, because it was a bad sample, or it is not suitable for people with some conditions.

Thanks

Subu

Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:30 pm   Reply with quote      

I don't about products, but Ayurvedic practice is not regulated in US:

Source