Nearly 21% of Ayurvedic medicines — plant-based products used in India for thousands of years to promote health — actually contain lead, mercury or arsenic, according to a study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Arsenic can cause cancer. Lead and mercury can damage the kidneys and brain, especially in children, says study author Robert Saper of the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. More than 80 people have developed lead poisoning worldwide from Ayurvedic medicines since 1978, the study notes. Symptoms include fatigue, anemia and abdominal pain.
Although Ayurvedic medications are largely used by adults to treat problems ranging from indigestion to infertility, about 4% of the 193 products that Saper tested were labeled for use in children.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-26-ayurvedic-medicines_N.htm