Ayurvedic Medicines Sold Via Internet May Contain Lead, Mercury or Arsenic
General News, International News No Comments »News wise — An analysis of Ayurvedic medicines (based on a traditional medical system commonly used in India) purchased via the Internet found that one-fifth of these products contain levels of lead, mercury or arsenic that exceed acceptable standards, according to a study in the August 27 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
Ayurvedic medicines are used by a majority of India’s 1.1 billion populations and worldwide by people from South Asia, as well as others. “However, since 1978 more than 80 cases of lead poisoning associated with Ayurvedic medicine use have been reported worldwide,” the authors write.
Ayurvedic medicines are divided into two major types: herbal-only and Rasa shastra, which is an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals (e.g., mercury, lead, iron, and zinc), minerals (e.g., mica) and gems (e.g., pearl). Rasa shastra experts claim that these medicines, if properly prepared and administered, are safe and therapeutic. The prevalence of metals in Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet and in those manufactured in the United States is unknown.
Robert B. Saper, M.D., M.P.H., of Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the prevalence of Ayurvedic medicines available via the Internet containing detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic and compared the prevalence of toxic metals between U.S. - and Indian-manufactured products, and in Rasa shastra vs. non–rasa shastra medicines.
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