 RECENTLY in Delhi, a top banker’s wife was admitted to hospital after doctors detected a liver malfunction. On examining the patient’s blood samples, pathologists found very high levels of heavy metals — arsenic, lead and mercury. This baffled the doctors, till they were told the lady, in her 50s, had been taking ayurvedic medicines for the past five years to try and fix a constipation problem.
The case may be alarming but is not unusual, insist seasoned medical practitioners. A similar incident was reported in a Boston hospital some years ago, when a patient complained of intractable seizures. Tests showed his blood’s lead level to be 89 units. Normal levels for an adult are under two units.
It was later found that the Indian-born patient, also in his 50s, was taking an ayurvedic medicine for arthritis. The medicine was found to have high metal levels, and he’d been on the dose for six years.
The incident lead to a survey by Harvard Medical School, the results of which were published in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association. The study associated lead, mercury and arsenic intoxication with ayurvedic medicinal products.
| | Figure it out The herbal drugs industry in India is estimated at Rs 2,300 crore, with a 15 per cent annual growth rate. It covers 5,000 companies. The global ayurvedic products market is reportedly worth $14.2 billion. | It found one in every five such products had more than acceptable levels of heavy metal. This, said the survey, put users at risk of metal toxicity.
ARE unsafe medical products being labelled ‘‘ayurvedic’’ as a marketing gimmick and giving India’s ancient system of healing a bad name? Certainly, the Union Health Ministry is taking it seriously enough to order an inquiry. ‘‘We are waiting for the report before any decision is taken,’’ says Anbumani Ramadoss, India’s health minister.
According to the Harvard researchers, although the health hazards posed by these products vary — depending on the degree of metallic content and the characteristics of the person taking it — a direct link with ayurveda cannot be ruled out.
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