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Herbal Medicine Dangers
Reported August 27, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Ordering herbal medicines on the Internet may
put your health at risk.
In a recent study, researchers found one fifth of Ayurvedic medicines -- a
form of medicine that relies heavily on herbal products -- manufactured in
the United States and India that were purchased on the Internet contain
lead, mercury or arsenic.
Of the products containing metals, 75 percent came from websites that
claimed Good Manufacturing Practices or testing for heavy metals.
“This study highlights the need for Congress to revisit the way dietary
supplements are regulated in the U.S.,” lead author Robert Saper, M.D.,
director of integrative medicine in the Family Medicine Department at Boston
University School of Medicine, was quoted as saying. “We suggest strictly
enforced, government mandated daily dose limits for toxic metals in all
dietary supplements and requirements that all manufacturers demonstrate
compliance through independent third-party testing.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;300 |
