Ayurvedic medicines often contaminated by toxic metals, study says: herbal mixtures dating back thousands of years in India

[Guest guest]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-heavymetals27-2008aug27,0,552099.story From

the Los Angeles Times Ayurvedic

medicines often contaminated by toxic metals, study says Lead,

mercury and arsenic were found in the traditionally Indian herbal mixtures at

levels that would surpass California safety guidelines, says a researcher who is calling for FDA curbs. By Alan Zarembo

Los Angeles Times Staff

Writer August 27, 2008

Ayurvedic medicines --

herbal mixtures dating back thousands of years in

India and increasingly popular in

the West -- are frequently contaminated with lead, mercury or arsenic,

according to a study published today.

A fifth of the nearly 200 concoctions tested contained levels of the toxic

metals that, if taken at the maximum recommended doses, would surpass

California 's safety

guidelines.

Dr. Saper, a Boston University professor of

family medicine who led the study, said the findings should spur the Food and

Drug Administration to start clamping down on the largely unregulated world of

pills, herbs and powders classified as dietary supplements.

"It shouldn't be me trying to figure this out," Saper said.

Ayurveda is a traditional Indian practice that takes a holistic approach to

wellness, employing herbal medicine, meditation and exercise to promote good

health. It exists alongside modern medicine in

India , with its own network of

clinics, hospitals and colleges serving hundreds of millions of patients.

It has spread to the U.S. and Europe with the migration of South Asians

around the world and been popularized by figures such as bestselling author

Deepak Chopra.

There are about two dozen ayurvedic training programs in the

United States . A 2002 survey

estimated that 750,000 U.S. residents have used the herbal preparations, sold under both traditional Indian

names and more marketable labels such as GlucoRite and Ezi Slim.

Saper got interested in the supplements in 2003 after a man of Indian origin

showed up at a Boston-area emergency room with seizures. The culprit turned out

to be lead in the man's ayurvedic medicines. In an initial study published in

2004, Saper bought 70 ayurvedic herbal products imported from

India and found that toxic metals

were common components.

It was an unsettling finding, because most of the preparations are intended to

be taken as part of a daily regimen to improve health.

"Many, many studies are showing that even small levels of lead in the

blood can increase the risk of high blood pressure, kidney dysfunction and

decreased IQ," Saper said.

Ayurvedic practitioners lashed out at the research as alarmist, saying that it

only showed there were problems with mixtures from

India , not with U.S.-made products.

They pointed out that in India ,

many of these metals are purposely blended with herbs as part of the medicinal

recipe. Those metallic mixtures are rarely used in the

United States , they said.

In the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., Saper

and his team analyzed 193 products purchased from 25 websites for Indian and

U.S. manufacturers. The vast majority supposedly contained only herbs and no metals.

About 80% of the samples showed no detectable metal content.

But among the remaining samples, the toxic metals showed up at similar rates in

both U.S. and Indian-made products.

Of the U.S. products, 21% contained lead, 3% contained mercury and 3% had arsenic. Among

the Indian-made medicines, 17% had lead, 7% had mercury and none contained

arsenic.

The researchers and other experts surmised that the contamination had less to

do with the manufacturing process than with the soils in which the herbs were

grown.

"The raw material is all coming from

India ," said Kush Khanna, who

runs Bazaar of India in Berkeley, a manufacturer of ayurvedic medicines started

by his father in 1971.

Heavy metals showed up in 17 of the products the researchers ordered from his

company.

Khanna said two labs in India routinely tested the 80 or so ingredients he imported.

The problem is that there are no unified standards for what is considered safe.

Lead levels allowed by the World Health Organization are 500 times the

California limits.

"Based on WHO standards, our products are perfect," Khanna said.

"They have not exceeded any limits."

The researchers found only two products that exceeded the WHO standards for

lead content. Both mixtures were from

India and purposely prepared with

metals as ingredients.

In California ,

the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 requires that

products containing certain levels of toxic metals carry warning labels. But

the act has no power to ban products, and companies with fewer than 10

employees, such as Khanna's, are exempt from the labeling requirements.

The FDA does not specify any limits for metal content in dietary supplements,

leaving it to the manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe.

Rioux, a medical anthropologist who runs the Integral Ayurveda clinic

in Chapel Hill ,

N.C. , said the research underscored the need

for consumers to consult with ayurvedic experts instead of buying and taking

products on their own.

She noted that the study showed many medicines to be perfectly safe, but she

worried that its conclusions would tar her profession.

"All people need is one study to provoke fear about an entire system of

medicine," she said.

alan.zarembo@...

[Guest guest]

I agree with her last comment about fear..to an extent...we've been

screaming about implants for years and the fear of implants hasn't

taken hold yet! It all depends on how much the person WANTS to

believe in the system.

In America, we're in conflict about medicine, and whether natural

medicine has the same credibility as modern medicine. I think it's

all in a state of flux.

But if we make sure we are buying wildcrafted herbs, I think we will

be okay. Wildcrafted are organic herbs grown in natural settings, so

they are pretty pure.

Patty

>

>

>

>

> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-heavymetals27-

2008aug27,0,552099.story

> From

> the Los Angeles

> Times

> Ayurvedic

> medicines often contaminated by toxic metals, study says

> Lead,

> mercury and arsenic were found in the traditionally Indian herbal

mixtures at

> levels that would surpass California

> safety guidelines, says a researcher who is calling for FDA curbs.

>

> By Alan Zarembo Los Angeles Times Staff

> Writer August 27, 2008

>

> Ayurvedic medicines --

> herbal mixtures dating back thousands of years in India and

increasingly popular in

> the West -- are frequently contaminated with lead, mercury or

arsenic,

> according to a study published today.

>

> A fifth of the nearly 200 concoctions tested contained levels of

the toxic

> metals that, if taken at the maximum recommended doses, would

surpass California 's safety

> guidelines.

>

> Dr. Saper, a Boston University professor of

> family medicine who led the study, said the findings should spur

the Food and

> Drug Administration to start clamping down on the largely

unregulated world of

> pills, herbs and powders classified as dietary supplements.

>

> " It shouldn't be me trying to figure this out, " Saper said.

>

> Ayurveda is a traditional Indian practice that takes a holistic

approach to

> wellness, employing herbal medicine, meditation and exercise to

promote good

> health. It exists alongside modern medicine in India , with its own

network of

> clinics, hospitals and colleges serving hundreds of millions of

patients.

>

> It has spread to the U.S.

> and Europe with the migration of South Asians

> around the world and been popularized by figures such as

bestselling author

> Deepak Chopra.

>

> There are about two dozen ayurvedic training programs in the United

States . A 2002 survey

> estimated that 750,000 U.S.

> residents have used the herbal preparations, sold under both

traditional Indian

> names and more marketable labels such as GlucoRite and Ezi Slim.

>

> Saper got interested in the supplements in 2003 after a man of

Indian origin

> showed up at a Boston-area emergency room with seizures. The

culprit turned out

> to be lead in the man's ayurvedic medicines. In an initial study

published in

> 2004, Saper bought 70 ayurvedic herbal products imported from India

and found that toxic metals

> were common components.

>

> It was an unsettling finding, because most of the preparations are

intended to

> be taken as part of a daily regimen to improve health.

>

> " Many, many studies are showing that even small levels of lead in

the

> blood can increase the risk of high blood pressure, kidney

dysfunction and

> decreased IQ, " Saper said.

>

> Ayurvedic practitioners lashed out at the research as alarmist,

saying that it

> only showed there were problems with mixtures from India , not with

U.S.-made products.

>

> They pointed out that in India ,

> many of these metals are purposely blended with herbs as part of

the medicinal

> recipe. Those metallic mixtures are rarely used in the United

States , they said.

>

> In the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical

Assn., Saper

> and his team analyzed 193 products purchased from 25 websites for

Indian and U.S.

> manufacturers. The vast majority supposedly contained only herbs

and no metals.

>

> About 80% of the samples showed no detectable metal content.

>

> But among the remaining samples, the toxic metals showed up at

similar rates in

> both U.S.

> and Indian-made products.

>

> Of the U.S.

> products, 21% contained lead, 3% contained mercury and 3% had

arsenic. Among

> the Indian-made medicines, 17% had lead, 7% had mercury and none

contained

> arsenic.

>

> The researchers and other experts surmised that the contamination

had less to

> do with the manufacturing process than with the soils in which the

herbs were

> grown.

>

> " The raw material is all coming from India , " said Kush Khanna, who

> runs Bazaar of India in Berkeley, a manufacturer of ayurvedic

medicines started

> by his father in 1971.

>

> Heavy metals showed up in 17 of the products the researchers

ordered from his

> company.

>

> Khanna said two labs in India

> routinely tested the 80 or so ingredients he imported.

>

> The problem is that there are no unified standards for what is

considered safe.

>

> Lead levels allowed by the World Health Organization are 500 times

the California limits.

>

> " Based on WHO standards, our products are perfect, " Khanna said.

> " They have not exceeded any limits. "

>

> The researchers found only two products that exceeded the WHO

standards for

> lead content. Both mixtures were from India and purposely prepared

with

> metals as ingredients.

>

> In California ,

> the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 requires

that

> products containing certain levels of toxic metals carry warning

labels. But

> the act has no power to ban products, and companies with fewer than

10

> employees, such as Khanna's, are exempt from the labeling

requirements.

>

> The FDA does not specify any limits for metal content in dietary

supplements,

> leaving it to the manufacturers to ensure that their products are

safe.

>

> Rioux, a medical anthropologist who runs the Integral

Ayurveda clinic

> in Chapel Hill , N.C. , said the research underscored the need

> for consumers to consult with ayurvedic experts instead of buying

and taking

> products on their own.

>

> She noted that the study showed many medicines to be perfectly

safe, but she

> worried that its conclusions would tar her profession.

>

> " All people need is one study to provoke fear about an entire

system of

> medicine, " she said.

>

> alan.zarembo@...

>