Govt of India replies to heavy metals in ayurveda scare.

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 Dear Readers,

            An interesting paper was published in latest issue of JAMA on

the issue of heavy metal contents in Ayurveda products and medicines

available in USA. Apparently, this has created again a debate on the

issue whether Ayurveda medicines and products are safe to consume? Dr.

Robert and his team did good intelligent work but if you read the

official reaction of the Government of India about this, you can see

that his work was biased with an intention to defame Ayurveda. We have

put the whole content of this official comment of Government of India

in this issue of our newsletter. Dr. Robert's work has this big

question mark why he did not exclude the products which have officially

the heavy metal contents as a part of formula as Bhasmas? And second

question is why he did include the products as containing heavy metals

above permissible limits which were safe as per WHO standards of

admissible heavy metal contents?  Obviously, such works has hidden

agenda to defame Ayurveda for so many reasons. There are so many

players in that part of the World who can play such dirty games. I put

this responsibility to our honorable readers to decide who get benefits

of such misinterpretations of a genuine science.

                      Best regards

and thanks,

            Dr.

Rajesh Kotecha 'Vaidya', M.D.(Ayurveda)

Chakrapaniayurveda Ayurveda Clinic and Research Center

 

             *HEAVY METALS IN AYURVEDIC MEDICINES*       

          

         

              

            COMMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

AYUSH, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ON “HEAVY METALS IN AYURVEDIC MEDICINESâ€

ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN JAMA, AUGUST 27, 2008

             

            Dr.Robert B. Saper of Department

of Family medicine, Boston Medical Center along with others had

published an article in JAMA, December 15, 2004 “Heavy Metal Content of

Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine Products†which on the basis of testing of 70

samples of herbal medicinal products collected from grocery stores of

Boston Area for heavy metals concluded that one out of every 5

Ayurvedic Herbal Medicinal Products originating from South Asia and

available in Boston South Asian grocery stores contains potentially

harmful levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic. This article was widely

reported in the Indian print media. Inspite of methodological

infirmities in the study carried out by Dr. Robert Saper and his

associates, the Department of AYUSH enforced mandatory testing for

heavy metals in respect of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani herbal products

being exported from India w.e.f. 1.1.2006. Testing for heavy metals and

other contaminant in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani products is already a part

of Good Manufacturing Practices notified in 2003.

             

            A project for Physico chemical

characterization and toxicity studies of 8 widely used Bhasmas (Rasa

Aushadhies) was also sanctioned under the Golden Triangle Project which

is being carried out by various laboratories of CSIR i.e. Indian

Institute of Toxicological Research (IITR), Lucknow, Indian Institute

of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad. Under this project, one of

the reputed manufacturers of Rasa Aushadhies was chosen for

manufacturing of the selected Rasa Aushadhies as per the classical

texts which were made available to CSIR laboratories for physio

chemical characterization and their toxicity studies. On the basis of

28 days toxicity studies, all the 8 Rasa Aushadhies have been found to

be non-toxic. 90 days chronic studies are under progress. CSIR would be

getting the results of this scientific research published to set at

rest doubts regarding the safety of Rasa Aushadhies prepared properly

as per classical texts. Further, the work of finalizing SOPs for the

various herb metallic compounds (Rasa Aushadhies) used in Ayurveda has

been undertaken by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee of India.

Supplementary Good Manufacturing Practices for Rasa Aushadhies have

also been prepared of which draft publication has been done.

             

            Samples of 600 Indian medicinal

plants collected from the wild as well as various medicinal plant

gardens in India by the Council for Scientific Research in Ayurveda and

Siddha were sent to the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research

(CSIR), Lucknow, Sri Ram Institute of Industrial Toxicology, New Delhi

and Center for Research in Indian Medicine, Shastra University,

Thanjavur. The test reports received from these three laboratories

disclose that Lead, Mercury and Arsenic have not been found in these

600 Indian medicinal plants samples above the permissible limits laid

down by WHO which is 10ppm for Lead, 1ppm for Mercury and 3ppm for

Arsenic. This study clearly indicates that Indian medicinal plants

collected from the wild or cultivated have been found to be free from

lead, mercury and arsenic contamination contrary to the claim made by

Dr. Robert Saper et al in their second article “Lead, Mercury and

Arsenic in US- and Indian- Manufactured Ayurvedic Medicines sold via

the Internet†published in JAMA, August 27, 2008.

             

            The bias of Dr. Saper against

Ayurvedic medicines becomes very apparent from the fact that he has

included even those Ayurvedic medicines being sold in USA in Table 3 of

the above mentioned article in which lead is below WHO’s maximum

permissible limit of 10ppm. Further, as per Dr. Saper’s article, these

medicines are sold by internet which does not indicate the source of

their origin. Further, some of the medicines mentioned in Table 3 of

the article, namely Akangvir Ras, Agnitundi Bati, Arogyavardhini Bati

are herbo metallic compounds which contain these metals as therapeutic

agents after purification process. Dr. Saper has visited India and has

been in touch with several Ayurveda experts and is fully aware that

these herbo-metallic preparations used in Ayurvedic system of medicine

contain heavy metals like lead, mercury and arsenic as therapeutic

agents after proper de-toxification process and no significant adverse

drug reactions have been reported regarding their use in India. Dr.

Saper is also fully aware that a high level scientific research is

being undertaken in India for physio chemical characterization and

safety of herbo metallic preparations for Rasa Aushadhies.

             

            It needs to be emphasized that

as per the directions issued by Department of AYUSH, herbo metallic

compounds are not being officially exported because of heavy metal

concerns and only purely herbal Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha medicines

are being exported from India with effect from 1.1.2006 after

certification of heavy metals below the permissible limit by the

manufacturing unit. In view of the above, the above mentioned article

of Dr. Saper and his associates is seriously flawed and discloses a

strong bias against Ayurvedic medicines. Indian scientists and research

institutions will be responding to the issues raised by Dr. Saper,

howsoever flawed they may be, through research articles based on their

work on Ayurvedic medicines in due course

           

 

 

 

“There is an unpleasant whiff of arrogance in the whole (vaccine-autism)

debate,†Horton says. “Can the public not be trusted with a controversial

hypothesis? The view that the public cannot interpret uncertainty indicates an

old-fashioned paternalism at work. The public is entitled to know as much as

possible.â€

 

 

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