Ayurvedic Medicines Contain Toxic Metals: Study Warns

Ayurvedic medicines, an “alternative” medical practice primarily derived from dietary and herbal supplements, are often deemed natural, safe and without side effects. However, conversely, an astounding new American study finds that they are frequently tainted with toxic metals like lead, mercury or arsenic – capable of causing cancer, kidney and brain damage.

With nearly 21 percent of the herbal remedies actually containing lead, mercury or arsenic, ordering traditional Ayurvedic medicines on the Internet may be unsafe, the researchers of the study warn.

Ayurveda, an art of promoting health dates back thousands of years to the early civilizations of India. However lately, the Ayurvedic medicines have gained huge popularity in the West and soon becoming an increasingly accepted form of alternative medical treatment.

But with over 80 cases of possible lead poisoning linked with Ayurvedic medicines reported worldwide since 1978, the study’s lead researcher Robert B. Saper, of Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center recommends the herbal remedies should be strictly regulated.

In order to determine the prevalence of toxic metals in Ayurvedic medicines manufactured by the US or Indian manufacturers and sold via internet, the researchers randomly ordered online 193 traditional Indian (ayurvedic) medicine products manufactured by 37 different manufacturers.

Of the total, about 60 percent were manufactured by U.S. companies, while the remaining 40 percent were Indian brands.

The purchases were then tested at the New England Regional Environmental Protection Agency using an advanced technique called X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

Almost 80 percent of the samples tested showed no traces of toxic metals. However of the balance, among Ayurvedic medicines manufactured in the United States 21.7 percent had lead, 3 percent had mercury and another 3 percent had arsenic as compared to Indian-made medicines of which 17 percent had lead, 7 percent had mercury and none contained arsenic.

Moreover, the two major segments of Ayurvedic medicines - herbal-only and rasa shastra - being tested for prevalence of metal traces reportedly unfolded that the later was twice more likely to contain detectable metals.

While ‘herbal-only’ remedies are based only on herbal extracts, the Rasa Shastra medicines deliberately combine herbs with metals like mercury, lead, iron, and zinc, minerals like mica and gems like pearls to produce a therapeutic effect.

Rasa Shastra medicines contained metal traces of 40.5 percent and a higher level of lead and mercury as compared to 17.1 percent in the herbal-only remedies.

The results of the study are published in the August 27 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).