January 5, 2005 – One in five Ayurvedic remedies imported from South Asia and purchased in the Boston city area, according to a survey by American researchers, contained harmful amounts of heavy metals, such as lead and mercury or arsenic1.
For the purposes of their investigation, the researchers obtained 70 Ayurvedic herbal remedies from various stores specializing in natural products in the Boston area. Analysis revealed that 14 of these products (20%) had elevated levels of mercury, lead or arsenic. The report of the team of Dr Robert Saper of Harvard Medical School concludes that consuming any of these 14 remedies, according to the dosage listed on their package label, could lead to heavy metal ingestion in higher amounts. than doses deemed safe by US public health authorities.
Cases of poisoning linked to Ayurvedic remedies have been reported recently in a few countries, including Singapore. Mercury, lead and arsenic have also been found in Ayurvedic products sold in England. These events motivated the Dr Saper and his team to conduct an investigation on American soil.
The authors of this report do not know how heavy metals were able to get into the remedies studied. However, they say they want this type of product to be subject to greater control. In the United States, herbal remedies are regulated by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) and their sale does not require proof of their safety or effectiveness. This is also currently the case in Canada, but following the entry into force of a Health Canada regulation a year ago, the sale of natural health products will eventually be subject to new requirements. Among other things, natural health products – including those made from medicinal plants – will have to display an NPN number. This identification number will indicate that Health Canada has verified the safety of products sold in the country, as well as the claims of health benefits.
From Indian tradition, Ayurvedic medicine is growing in popularity in the West. This holistic approach to human health has existed for millennia and some scientific studies have demonstrated the benefits of some of its therapeutic applications.
Marie france Coutu – Proteus Network
According to Reuters
1. Saper RB, Kales SN, Paquin J, et al, Heavy metal content of ayurvedic herbal medicine products, JAMA. 2004 Dec 15; 292 (23): 2868-73.
