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Lead, mercury and arsenic found in internet ayurvedic medicines
According to a recent study published the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), one fifth of ayurvedic medicines purchased via the internet were found to contain levels of lead, mercury or arsenic that exceeded acceptable standards.
Ayurvedic medicine is divided into two major types – herbal-only and rasa shastra, an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals, minerals and gems.
The study examined internet-available ayurvedic medicines containing detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic and compared the prevalence of toxic metals between US- and Indian-manufactured products, and in rasa shastra versus non–rasa shastra medicines.
Of the 673 products, researchers found the prevalence of metal-containing products was 20.7 per cent. Of these, all exceeded one or more US standards for acceptable daily metal intake. Details: jamamedia.com