NEWS - Toxic metals found in Ayurvedic medicines

[Guest guest]

Toxic metals found in Ayurvedic medicines

Last Updated: 2004-12-14 16:00:43 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - About one in five Ayurvedic herbal medicine

products sold in the Boston area contains toxic levels of lead, mercury

or arsenic, researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical

Association.

" Our findings support calls for reform of the Dietary Supplement Health

and Education Act that would require mandatory testing of all imported

dietary supplements for toxic heavy metals, " lead author Dr. B.

Saper, at Boston University School of Medicine, and his colleagues

write.

Traditional Indian herbal medicine products are growing in popularity in

Western countries, Saper's team notes. Since herbal medicines are

classified as dietary supplements, they are regulated in the US by the

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which does not require

proof of safety or effectiveness.

Saper's group visited stores within 20 miles of Boston City Hall that

sold Ayurvedic herbal medicine products imported from south Asia, and

purchased one package of each herbal medicine product available. Samples

were sent for analysis to the New England Regional Environmental

Protection Agency laboratory.

Fourteen of the 70 herbal medicine products contained lead, mercury

and/or arsenic, Saper and his colleagues report.

" If taken as recommended by the manufacturers, each of these 14 could

result in heavy metal intakes above published regulatory standards, "

they note.

In many cases, the herbal medicines contained much higher levels than

allowed by US Pharmacopeia standards -- levels similar to those

associated with toxic blood concentrations and symptomatic poisoning in

previously reported cases. These levels could be especially dangerous to

children.

The authors recommend that Ayurvedic herbal medicine users undergo

testing for heavy metal poisoning and that doctors consider Ayurvedic

herbal medicine use when they encounter cases of unexplained heavy metal

toxicity.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medicine Association, December 15, 2004

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org