Heavy Metals and Herbel Medicine

High Levels Of Toxic Metals Found In Herbal Medicine Products Sold OnlineScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2008) — Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine(BUSM) have found that one fifth of both U.S.-manufactured and Indian-manufacturedAyurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain lead, mercury or arsenic.Ayurveda is a form of medicine that originated in India more than 2,000 years agoand relies heavily on herbal products. In India, an estimated 80 percent of the population practices Ayurveda. In the United States, Ayurvedic remedies have increasedin popularity and are available from South Asian markets, health food stores, andon the Internet. Ayurvedic medicines are divided into two major types: herbal onlyand rasa shastra. Rasa shastra is an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals, minerals and gems. Ayurvedic experts in India believe that ifRasa Shastra medicines made with metals such as lead and mercury are properly preparedand administered, they will be safe and therapeutic.Using an Internet search, the researchers identified 25 Web sites featuring 673 Ayurvedic medicines. They randomly selected and purchased 193 products made by 37different manufacturers for analyses. Overall, 20.7 percent of Ayurvedic medicinescontained detectable lead, mercury and/or arsenic. U.S. and Indian manufactured products were equally likely to contain toxic metals. Rasa shastra compared withnon-rasa shastra medicines were more than twice as likely to contain metals and had higher concentrations of lead and mercury. Among products containing metals,95 percent were sold by U.S. Web sites and 75 percent claimed Good ManufacturingPractices or testing for heavy metals. All metal-containing products exceeded oneor more standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals."This study highlights the need for Congress to revisit the way dietary supplementsare regulated in the U.S.," said lead author Robert Saper, MD, MPH, Directorof Integrative Medicine in the Family Medicine Department at BUSM. Saper first publishedon this topic in December, 2004 (JAMA). In that study he and his colleagues found20% of Ayurvedic medicines produced in South Asia only and available in Boston areastores contained potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury, and/or arsenic. "Ourfirst priority must be the safety of the public. Herbs and supplements with highlevels of lead, mercury, and arsenic should not be available for sale on the Internetor elsewhere," he said.Saper adds, "We suggest strictly enforced, government mandated daily dose limitsfor toxic metals in all dietary supplements and requirements that all manufacturersdemonstrate compliance through independent third-party testing.""The medicines which are supposed to cure sickness should not promote anotherillness due to the presence of toxic materials such as lead," said co-authorVenkatesh Thuppil, PhD, Director of the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoningin India, as well as a Professor at St. John's Medical College in India.Journal reference:1. Saper et al. Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in US- and Indian-ManufacturedAyurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet. JAMA The Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, 2008; 300 (8): 915 DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.8.915