Researchers at the Royal Military College of Canada, tested 42 medicines.

Using herbal/Ayurvedic medicine may lead to plumbism as heavy metals are often incorporated in such medications with the belief that the metals have medicinal properties. Researchers at Maulana Azad Medical College, in Delhi, India, report the experience of 1 patient.

Researchers at the National Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Research, in Punjab, India, report on a few local samples of certain herbs.

 The National Center for Contemporary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has updated their introductory reviews. Here’s what’s important.

Researchers from the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, in The Netherlands measured levels in Asian traditional herbal preparations that are available on the Dutch market.

The relationship between supplements and lead levels in blood has been an ongoing project for researchers in Boston. In this study, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center report specific herbal supplements are associated with higher blood lead levels among women.

Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is the former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research in India. During the Second World Ayurveda Congress he shared his thoughts about bhasmas — the Ayurvedic “supplements” with the highest reported heavy metal (lead, tin, iron, arsenic) content.

What’s been published recently suggests there’s likely to be a problem. Have we reached a tipping point?

Researchers from Boston and Bangalore, India ask, what’s the risk of getting lead, mercury, and arsenic in the Ayurvedic medicines purchased on the Internet?

Lead, mercury, and (oh yeah) arsenic intoxication have been associated with Ayurvedic herbal medicines. Here’s an account of one patent’s experience.

A woman from Iowa has filed a lawsuit claiming she contracted lead poisoning from a Maharishi herbal product. She apparently got it from a physician at a clinic in India. A reader treated by the same doctor at the same clinic had a different experience and shares it in his comment.

Dashmoola is a popular herbal formulation in ayurvedic medicine. It’s used to reduce fever and modify the immune response. In this study, scientists from the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, India tested the roots and stems from 10 herbs used to prepare Dashmoola.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston believe, “the United States Food and Drug Administration and corresponding agencies in other countries should require heavy metal testing for all imported dietary supplements.” The recommendation is based on what they found among people taking Ayurvedic medicines.

Today, more than 400 firefighters and other 9/11 responders are taking 4 pills composed of up to 20 herbs twice a day. They claim to feel healthier than they did after undergoing Western remedies for their ailments. Now, Councilman Michael McMahon is requesting funding of more than $200,000 from New York City to help pay […]

A recent post here summarized the risks associated with lead blood levels. It’s more toxic than was previously believed. And if you take Ayurvedic medicine, it’s important to be aware of the risks you are exposed to. How high is the risk?

In addition to Ayurvedic medicines, certain traditional or folk medications used in East Indian, Middle Eastern, West Asian, and Hispanic cultures contain lead. The “logic” supporting the addition of lead to medicine was summarized in an earlier post. Now it’s reported that lead is more toxic than we thought. People with lead blood levels well […]

Everybody in the west knows that lead is toxic, right? We spend lots of money removing lead paint from the walls of old houses. So, what is the logic that justifies adding lead to ayurvedic medicines? Dr. Annapoorna Chirra from the Department of Medicine at UCLA has the answer.

The New York Times Magazine published a travelogue by a San Francisco woman who spent time In India as an “ayurveda tourist.” The goal of the trip was to “immerse [herself] in ayurveda, the 3,500-year-old herb-based healing tradition that still flourishes in the daily life of India.” As might be expected of a San Franciscan […]

It’s easy to be critical of ayurveda ? a “natural healing system” developed in India. The immediate problems, from a Western perspective, include lack of standardization and reported toxicity (particularly lead poisoning). But there’s more. “The problem lies in the crisis of confidence both within and outside the ayurvedic community, and it is here that […]