Toxins in ayurvedic drugs? No, say experts

KANNUR: With the campaign against the ayurvedic drugs gaining strength in the West because of the presence of toxic metals, it is time to scientifically prove before the world that the toxicity of the heavy metals is eliminated in the process of preparing ayurvedic medicines, said the experts.
"Scientific studies and clinical have clearly proved that the toxicity of the heavy metals will not be there once it is processed, and in ayurveda mercury is an ingredient, and not a contaminator," said Dr P M Warrier, chief superintendent, Aryavaidyasala Kottakkal, delivering the keynote address at a workshop on 'Standardization of kashayam' organized by Itoozhi Illam Ayurveda Charitable Trust in association with CARe Keralam, a public limited firm established with the support of AYUSH department of government of India here on Friday.
As per a study conducted by IIT, Kharagpur, the heavy metals in ayurvedic bhasmas are in the form of nano particles and there is no toxicity in it and it gets excreted from the body, he said.
In this backdrop, the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers' Association (ADMA) is preparing a drug masterfile to help the standardization of the ingredients and the process of preparing ayurvedic medicine, he said.
As part of this the ADMA is evaluating the efficacy of the formulations when they are prepared in different methods. Once this process is over all ayurvedic manufacturers can follow this standardization so that the formulation of all the ayurvedic drug manufacturers will have the same quality.
Kashayam to treat diabetes
Dr Warrier, who is also the president of ADMA, said the efficacy of 'Nisakathakadi kashayam' in treating diabetes has been scientifically proven and efforts are on to get global patent for it.
"Similarly we should get patent for all our medicine for which the standardization of the process and ingredients is essential," he said.
Dr Joy Varghese, executive director of CARe Keralam, said the West compares the heavy metal ingredient in ayurvedic preparations with pure arsenic, lead and mercury.
"Though the toxicity goes in the process of the preparation of the medicine, quite often we fail to convince this to the world," he said underscoring the importance of validating our drugs scientifically all over the world. "There is no meaning in blaming the pharmaceutical lobbies for the ban of the ayurvedic preparations in foreign countries; what we have to do is to scientifically prove the efficacy of the ayurvedic preparations."
The workshop was organized to kick-start a debate on the efficacy of ayurvedic preparations in the backdrop of the campaign from some corners against it, said the organizers.