Govt of India replies to heavy metals inayurveda scare.

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Dear Readers, An interesting paper was published in latest issue of JAMA onthe issue of heavy metal contents in Ayurveda products and medicinesavailable in USA. Apparently, this has created again a debate on theissue whether Ayurveda medicines and products are safe to consume? Dr.Robert and his team did good intelligent work but if you read theofficial reaction of the Government of India about this, you can seethat his work was biased with an intention to defame Ayurveda. We haveput the whole content of this official comment of Government of Indiain this issue of our newsletter. Dr. Robert's work has this bigquestion mark why he did not exclude the products which have officiallythe heavy metal contents as a part of formula as Bhasmas? And secondquestion is why he did include the products as containing heavy metalsabove permissible limits which were safe as per WHO standards ofadmissible heavy metal contents? Obviously, such works has hiddenagenda to defame Ayurveda for so many reasons. There are so manyplayers in that part of the World who can play such dirty games. I putthis responsibility to our honorable readers to decide who get benefitsof such misinterpretations of a genuine science. Best regardsand thanks, Dr.Rajesh Kotecha 'Vaidya', M.D.(Ayurveda)DirectorChakrapaniayurveda Ayurveda Clinic and Research Center *HEAVY METALS IN AYURVEDIC MEDICINES* COMMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OFAYUSH, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ON “HEAVY METALS IN AYURVEDIC MEDICINES”ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN JAMA, AUGUST 27, 2008 Dr.Robert B. Saper of Departmentof Family medicine, Boston Medical Center along with others hadpublished an article in JAMA, December 15, 2004 “Heavy Metal Content ofAyurvedic Herbal Medicine Products” which on the basis of testing of 70samples of herbal medicinal products collected from grocery stores ofBoston Area for heavy metals concluded that one out of every 5Ayurvedic Herbal Medicinal Products originating from South Asia andavailable in Boston South Asian grocery stores contains potentiallyharmful levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic. This article was widelyreported in the Indian print media. Inspite of methodologicalinfirmities in the study carried out by Dr. Robert Saper and hisassociates, the Department of AYUSH enforced mandatory testing forheavy metals in respect of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani herbal productsbeing exported from India w.e.f. 1.1..2006. Testing for heavy metals andother contaminant in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani products is already a partof Good Manufacturing Practices notified in 2003. A project for Physico chemicalcharacterization and toxicity studies of 8 widely used Bhasmas (RasaAushadhies) was also sanctioned under the Golden Triangle Project whichis being carried out by various laboratories of CSIR i.e. IndianInstitute of Toxicological Research (IITR), Lucknow, Indian Instituteof Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad. Under this project, one ofthe reputed manufacturers of Rasa Aushadhies was chosen formanufacturing of the selected Rasa Aushadhies as per the classicaltexts which were made available to CSIR laboratories for physiochemical characterization and their toxicity studies. On the basis of28 days toxicity studies, all the 8 Rasa Aushadhies have been found tobe non-toxic. 90 days chronic studies are under progress. CSIR would begetting the results of this scientific research published to set atrest doubts regarding the safety of Rasa Aushadhies prepared properlyas per classical texts. Further, the work of finalizing SOPs for thevarious herb metallic compounds (Rasa Aushadhies) used in Ayurveda hasbeen undertaken by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee of India.Supplementary Good Manufacturing Practices for Rasa Aushadhies havealso been prepared of which draft publication has been done. Samples of 600 Indian medicinalplants collected from the wild as well as various medicinal plantgardens in India by the Council for Scientific Research in Ayurveda andSiddha were sent to the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research(CSIR), Lucknow, Sri Ram Institute of Industrial Toxicology, New Delhiand Center for Research in Indian Medicine, Shastra University,Thanjavur. The test reports received from these three laboratoriesdisclose that Lead, Mercury and Arsenic have not been found in these600 Indian medicinal plants samples above the permissible limits laiddown by WHO which is 10ppm for Lead, 1ppm for Mercury and 3ppm forArsenic. This study clearly indicates that Indian medicinal plantscollected from the wild or cultivated have been found to be free fromlead, mercury and arsenic contamination contrary to the claim made byDr. Robert Saper et al in their second article “Lead, Mercury andArsenic in US- and Indian- Manufactured Ayurvedic Medicines sold viathe Internet” published in JAMA, August 27, 2008. The bias of Dr. Saper againstAyurvedic medicines becomes very apparent from the fact that he hasincluded even those Ayurvedic medicines being sold in USA in Table 3 ofthe above mentioned article in which lead is below WHO’s maximumpermissible limit of 10ppm. Further, as per Dr. Saper’s article, thesemedicines are sold by internet which does not indicate the source oftheir origin. Further, some of the medicines mentioned in Table 3 ofthe article, namely Akangvir Ras, Agnitundi Bati, Arogyavardhini Batiare herbo metallic compounds which contain these metals as therapeuticagents after purification process. Dr. Saper has visited India and hasbeen in touch with several Ayurveda experts and is fully aware thatthese herbo-metallic preparations used in Ayurvedic system of medicinecontain heavy metals like lead, mercury and arsenic as therapeuticagents after proper de-toxification process and no significant adversedrug reactions have been reported regarding their use in India. Dr.Saper is also fully aware that a high level scientific research isbeing undertaken in India for physio chemical characterization andsafety of herbo metallic preparations for Rasa Aushadhies. It needs to be emphasized thatas per the directions issued by Department of AYUSH, herbo metalliccompounds are not being officially exported because of heavy metalconcerns and only purely herbal Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha medicinesare being exported from India with effect from 1.1.2006 aftercertification of heavy metals below the permissible limit by themanufacturing unit. In view of the above, the above mentioned articleof Dr. Saper and his associates is seriously flawed and discloses astrong bias against Ayurvedic medicines. Indian scientists and researchinstitutions will be responding to the issues raised by Dr. Saper,howsoever flawed they may be, through research articles based on theirwork 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.”To to this group, send email to: MedicalConspiracies- (AT) googl (DOT) com