Toxic metals found in herbal medicines sold online

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[from http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-26-ayurvedic-medicines_N.htm]

 

Study finds toxins in some herbal medicines

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

August 26, 2008

 

 

Traditional herbal supplements used by thousands of Americans may contain

dangerously high levels of lead and other toxins, a study shows.

 

Nearly 21% of Ayurvedic medicines -- plant-based products used in India for

thousands of years to promote health -- actually contain lead, mercury or

arsenic, according to a study in today's Journal of the American Medical

Association (Summary: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/300/8/915).

 

Arsenic can cause cancer. Lead and mercury can damage the kidneys and brain,

especially in children, says study author Robert Saper of the Boston University

School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. More than 80 people have developed

lead poisoning worldwide from Ayurvedic medicines since 1978, the study notes.

Symptoms include fatigue, anemia and abdominal pain.

 

Although Ayurvedic medications are largely used by adults to treat problems

ranging from indigestion to infertility, about 4% of the 193 products that Saper

tested were labeled for use in children.

 

Saper and his colleagues purchased all of the medicines on the Internet. In a

2004 study, he also found lead, mercury and arsenic in 20% of Ayurvedic

supplements sold in Boston-area stores. About 750,000 Americans have used

Ayurvedic medicine, says Michael McGuffin of the American Herbal Products

Association, whose members include the makers of traditional herbal products.

 

Manufacturers and the owners of websites mentioned in the article say they

carefully test their products for safety. Peter Bowes, owner of Seattle-based

Tattva's Herbs, says his company's own tests found much lower lead levels than

those listed in the study.

 

McGuffin notes that it may be impossible to ensure that herbal products are 100%

lead-free, because even fruits, vegetables and dairy products can be

contaminated with lead, which can be found in soil or water.

 

McGuffin notes that government and professional agencies set widely different

safety standards for lead, mercury and arsenic. While most of the products in

Saper's article have lead levels that exceed California's standard, only two

violate the World Health Organization's standard.

 

Saper says the Food and Drug Administration should set maximum daily dose limits

for toxic metals in dietary supplements. Although the FDA currently doesn't

specify how much lead is permitted in these products, it can pull products off

the market if they're found to be unsafe. The FDA, for example, banned Ayurvedic

products cited in Saper's 2004 study.

 

McGuffin says the government and industry should seriously consider such limits:

" If we know what the target is, it makes it easier to hit the target. "