Metals in ayurvedic medicines

[Guest guest]

Hi Joseph

 

i can see that you take this study very personally, but a more reasoned

approach would be to actually read it and see what the findings are

abstracts can be misleading, and you really need to read the whole

paper to understand what the context is

 

none of the products in these stores are the high quality products you

would find in Kerala, produced by small producers according to strict

Ayurvedic methods; instead, they are mass-produced and poorly packaged,

and usually out of date to boot, with lots of opportunity for

contamination, for e.g.

 

•they may be grown in contaminated fields with god-knows what kind of

pesticides and fertilizers

•they may have dried on the side of a busy road, railway track or

industry

•they might have been piled high on a dirty floor in some warehouse

that might have previously been used to store chemicals or fuels

•they may have been contaminated by the packaging materials (for e.g.

PVC mini-blinds contain high levels of lead in the plastic, and are

manufactured in third world countries)

 

these issues aren't unique to Ayurveda, and have also come up with

mass-produced herbal medicines in China

nor is the issue of heavy metal toxicity strictly a 3rd world issue

either - in our pursuit of technological advances we humans have

royally screwed things up, in almost every corner of the planet

 

environmental toxicity is a REAL issue

in a study published in Neutoxicology (2002), researchers found

unacceptably high levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury, as well as

several different insecticides in the meconium of 426 infants in the

Philippines (!!!!)

 

we need to meet these challenges head on, not by getting our back up

but by challenging the science and defending the tradition

there need be no fear in this

 

if these products contain heavy metals any amount of jumping up and

down in anger won't change that fact

obstinate resistance will be met with regulation and suppression, and

we do not want to see that

Ayurveda is just starting to unfold in the west - its a delicate

juncture that requires much tact and a need to see the bigger picture

 

as the editor of an Ayurvedic magazine the best response is to advocate

for better quality control, organic and sustainable methods of

harvesting, and a reduction in the environmental burden everywhere -

all of which is completely in line with Ayurvedic thinking

 

 

sincerely.... Todd Caldecott

 

 

> Hi all

> This is absolute bullshit.It's like a story where 4 blind men tried to

> understand an Elephant. One said that Elephant is shaped as a pillar

> because he felt only the legs.Another one said

> it is like a broom as he got only the tail to feel.... The scientists

> who tested so called " Ayurveda" drugs must publish

> which company's medicine they tested. Because Ayurveda is so vast and

> have medicine for several chronic diseases where Allopathy or so

> called modern medicine failed.

...

...

...

>

> Joseph Mathew

> Editor

> Global Ayurveda Magazine

> Caldecott

todd

www.toddcaldecott.com

[Guest guest]

Dear

An article published in the Journals of American Medical Association (JAMA) is

available on net and anybody can read the findings of the researchers of Boston

University.The team has tested 70 sampels and out of them 14 were found positive

for various type of toxic material including Arsenic and heavy metals like

Mercury and Lead.

 

When anybody will go through the article he will find the name of various

formulations.Some formulations are RASA and some are in the form of herbal

extracts and are sold in the Indian Market as single herbal drugs as an Over The

Counter (OTC ) products. Every ayrvedic doctor and a patient who regularily

takes the Ayurvedic Medicines knows about the Rasa preprations where purified

Mercury and purified sulpher used as an ingredient of that perticular

formulations alongwith powder of herbal medicines and bhasmas of other purified

metals. The composition change as per the disease but almost every rasa contains

purified Mercury and purified Sulpher in the formulations.Indians are using

these medicines since 6th Centuary A.D..Some metalic prepations are used by the

indians even since 50 B.C. era and are still used by a large % age of Indians

without any complication and with great therapeutic value) See: Punarnava

Mandura).

 

Every metal which is used in Ayurveda is purified by special techniques and

generally used in the oxide,carbonate or sulphate form. In all the RASA

preparations ,the presence of various metals or their compound with % age are

shown on the Label of Medicine, so nothing new is reported by the team of Boston

University. The presence of heavy metals in herbal exract medicines is a serious

concern for which company should be asked because as per Ayurvedic principal

only water extracts are allowed but these companies probably are selling a

product where organic solvents may also be used alongwith water extract.Every

body in scientific field knows that if organic solvents are used for extraction

they may be metal free. The repeated aqua concentraion may also lead to heavy

metals contaimination either due to contaiminated water or by dissolving of any

vessel material.

 

Lastly we may also try to know that whether all these contaminated medicines

were manufactured for Indian Market or exclusively propared for US market. If

they are prepared for Indian Market, this type of erros can be possible by these

small companies, because when two large American TRANS-NATIONAL soft drink

Companies can sell soft drinks contaminated with heavy quantity of Pesticide

and one British Multinational Company can sell the Chocolate contaminated with

Lead.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. Anil

 

 

 

Caldecott <todd wrote:

 

Hi Joseph

 

i can see that you take this study very personally, but a more reasoned

approach would be to actually read it and see what the findings are

abstracts can be misleading, and you really need to read the whole

paper to understand what the context is

 

none of the products in these stores are the high quality products you

would find in Kerala, produced by small producers according to strict

Ayurvedic methods; instead, they are mass-produced and poorly packaged,

and usually out of date to boot, with lots of opportunity for

contamination, for e.g.

 

•they may be grown in contaminated fields with god-knows what kind of

pesticides and fertilizers

•they may have dried on the side of a busy road, railway track or

industry

•they might have been piled high on a dirty floor in some warehouse

that might have previously been used to store chemicals or fuels

•they may have been contaminated by the packaging materials (for e.g.

PVC mini-blinds contain high levels of lead in the plastic, and are

manufactured in third world countries)

 

these issues aren't unique to Ayurveda, and have also come up with

mass-produced herbal medicines in China

nor is the issue of heavy metal toxicity strictly a 3rd world issue

either - in our pursuit of technological advances we humans have

royally screwed things up, in almost every corner of the planet

 

environmental toxicity is a REAL issue

in a study published in Neutoxicology (2002), researchers found

unacceptably high levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury, as well as

several different insecticides in the meconium of 426 infants in the

Philippines (!!!!)

 

we need to meet these challenges head on, not by getting our back up

but by challenging the science and defending the tradition

there need be no fear in this

 

if these products contain heavy metals any amount of jumping up and

down in anger won't change that fact

obstinate resistance will be met with regulation and suppression, and

we do not want to see that

Ayurveda is just starting to unfold in the west - its a delicate

juncture that requires much tact and a need to see the bigger picture

 

as the editor of an Ayurvedic magazine the best response is to advocate

for better quality control, organic and sustainable methods of

harvesting, and a reduction in the environmental burden everywhere -

all of which is completely in line with Ayurvedic thinking

 

 

sincerely.... Todd Caldecott

[Guest guest]

Hi Todd

Glad to see that you also support my point indirectly. I mentioned that just

because some

medicines were found to be toxic, you can't say that Ayurveda medicines are

toxic. Further, Kerala(India) Ayurveda firms are all not small ones .Many of

them are ISO certified. They never use chemical pesticides .They never dry

medicines on the roadside.They need to get a G M P (Good Manufacturing Process)

certificate from the Government of India,which is the largest democratic

Government in the world, to manufacture medicines. So please don't simply write

off great countries like India as third world nations. I invite you to visit

India and verify.

Here in India people are protesting against Kentacki chicken , Pepsi and Cocoa

cola as lab reports proved that they contain pesticides and toxic substances.

Many of the U S banned modern medicine drugs are sold in Indian market saying

that it is third world. When these facts came out, then also there was much

jumping up and down in anger without knowing that it won't change that fact.

Then Indian Government told the concerned that obstinate resistance will be met

with regulation and suppression, and we wanted to see that.Yes, these

products were banned in Government places.

Ayurveda is not at anybody's mercy . It is 4500 years older than so called

developed countries.It is not simple money making business. And in the west it

is not in the beginning stage as you think.You go to Germany or Italy. There are

several countries in the west other than the US. If US suppress or ban Ayurveda

, the losers will be that country and not Ayurveda.

Thanks for all the advice, Todd

Joseph Mathew

 

Caldecott <todd wrote:

 

 

Hi Joseph

 

i can see that you take this study very personally, but a more reasoned

approach would be to actually read it and see what the findings are

abstracts can be misleading, and you really need to read the whole

paper to understand what the context is

 

none of the products in these stores are the high quality products you

would find in Kerala, produced by small producers according to strict

Ayurvedic methods; instead, they are mass-produced and poorly packaged,

and usually out of date to boot, with lots of opportunity for

contamination, for e.g.

 

•they may be grown in contaminated fields with god-knows what kind of

pesticides and fertilizers

•they may have dried on the side of a busy road, railway track or

industry

•they might have been piled high on a dirty floor in some warehouse

that might have previously been used to store chemicals or fuels

•they may have been contaminated by the packaging materials (for e.g.

PVC mini-blinds contain high levels of lead in the plastic, and are

manufactured in third world countries)

 

these issues aren't unique to Ayurveda, and have also come up with

mass-produced herbal medicines in China

nor is the issue of heavy metal toxicity strictly a 3rd world issue

either - in our pursuit of technological advances we humans have

royally screwed things up, in almost every corner of the planet

 

environmental toxicity is a REAL issue

in a study published in Neutoxicology (2002), researchers found

unacceptably high levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury, as well as

several different insecticides in the meconium of 426 infants in the

Philippines (!!!!)

 

we need to meet these challenges head on, not by getting our back up

but by challenging the science and defending the tradition

there need be no fear in this

 

if these products contain heavy metals any amount of jumping up and

down in anger won't change that fact

obstinate resistance will be met with regulation and suppression, and

we do not want to see that

Ayurveda is just starting to unfold in the west - its a delicate

juncture that requires much tact and a need to see the bigger picture

 

as the editor of an Ayurvedic magazine the best response is to advocate

for better quality control, organic and sustainable methods of

harvesting, and a reduction in the environmental burden everywhere -

all of which is completely in line with Ayurvedic thinking

 

 

sincerely.... Todd Caldecott

[Guest guest]

ayurveda, anil bhadoria <anilksb> wrote:

>

> Dear

> An article published in the Journals of American Medical Association (JAMA) is

>available on net and anybody can read the findings of the researchers of Boston

>University.The team has tested 70 sampels and out of them 14 were found

positive

>for various type of toxic material including Arsenic and heavy metals like

Mercury

>and Lead.

 

i decided to plunk down my $12 and purchase the article to see what all the fuss

is

about

 

here are some of the findings for each of the products, microgram/g:

 

Bal Chamcha 10 (lead)

Bala Guti 5 (lead)

Bala Sogathi 43 (lead) 28 (mercury)

Balguti Kesaria 7 (lead) 17600 (mercury) 37 (arsenic)

Gesari 7 (lead)

Karela 7 (lead)

Maha Sudarshan 17 (lead)

Maha Sudarshan Churna 40 (lead)

Mahalakshmi Vilas Ras with gold (lead) 72100 (mercury) 2800 (arsenic)

Mahayograj Guggulu with silver and Makardhwaj Baidyanath Tablet 37000

(lead) 22800 (mercury) 8100 (arsenic)

Navratna Rasa 600 (lead) 104000 (mercury) 60 (arsenic)

Safi 54 (arsenic)

Shilajit Syncom Capsule 8 (lead)

Swarna Mahayograj Guggulu with gold 7870 (lead) 4380 (mercury) 800 (arsenic)

 

some of these are rasas and yes we could expect that there will be a high heavy

metal

content; unfortunately the researchers don't really delve into what forms the

minerals

are present in, i.e. is the mercury the more toxic and bioaccumulative methyl

mercury

or another form, i.e. oxide etc.

 

as stated: "...we were not able to ascertain the metals' chemical forms, which

can

impact bioavailability and toxicity, especially in the case of mercury."

 

i would like to get some specific comment from experienced ayurvedic physicians

on

the heavy metal content in the products listed above, compared to the actual

formulations

 

in which case are the heavy metals an additive, and when are they an adulterant?

 

why for e.g. does Safi contain arsenic? this is not an additive mentioned on

the label

as far as i am aware; simiarly, there are other products high in lead or arsenic

that

aren't supposed to contain these compounds

 

the scary thing to me is that some of these medicines are recommended for

children,

and we all know that lead targets the brain in children

 

here in the west, the whole issue of heavy metal toxicity is only going to get

more

attention, regardless of the fact that metals have traditionally been used in

Ayurveda

 

in this case Ayurveda can be a casuality, or can take proactive measures to

honor

these genuine concerns of ubiquitous heavy metal toxicity

 

i personally don't care whether mercury is in oxide, sulfide or another form -

for

99.9% of the population there are reasonable alternatives that are much, much

safer,

and won't damage the reputation of ayurveda

 

i really doubt that 2000 years ago your typical Indian would have had access to

an

abundance of heavy metal-based medicinal preparations (or was exposed to heavy-

metal industrial effluent for that matter) - they were around, but they weren't

disseminated for just anyone to use, only by highly experienced clinicians that

probably prepared the remedies themselves and had significant experience with

their

use