Ayurvedic medicine: Toxic metals in remedies for sale on internetOne fifth of Indian herbal medicines herbal medicine, use of natural plant substances (botanicals) to treat and prevent illness. The practice has existed since prehistoric times and flourishes today as the primary form of medicine for perhaps as much as 80% of the world's population. available over the internet contain heavy metals heavy metals, n.pl metallic compounds, such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and nickel. Exposure to these metals has been linked to immune, kidney, and neurotic disorders. such as lead, mercury and arsenic, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. researchers who analysed 193 products obtained online. The scientists called for tighter regulation of so-called Ayurvedic medicines. The team randomly selected 193 products from internet sites selling Ayurvedic remedies and analysed their content. They detected lead, mercury or arsenic in 20.7% of products. If taken in high enough quantities these can lead to acute poisoning. "Our first priority must be the safety of the public," said Dr Robert Saper at Boston University school of medicine Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. It is an American medical school located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. . "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." Ayurvedic healing has been practised for over two millennia in India and is becoming popular in Europe and the US. It has two strands - herbal-only medicines and remedies that combine herbs with metals, minerals and gems. About 80 cases of lead poisoning lead poisoning or plumbism (plŭm`bĭz'əm), intoxication of the system by organic compounds containing lead. associated with Ayurvedic medicine have been reported worldwide and previous studies have found a problem with high levels of heavy metals in the herbal remedies. "It is a real issue," said Professor Edzard Ernst Professor Edzard Ernst is notable for being the first Professor of Complementary Medicine in the United Kingdom. He was attracted from his chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at the University of Vienna to set up the department of Complementary Medicine at , an expert in complementary medicine at the Peninsula medical school in Exeter, who was not involved in the study. "A thousand years ago it was thought that through heating [lead] was made non-toxic, which is clearly not the case. These traditions live on and they carry on endangering our health." He said there was weak evidence that Ayurvedic medicine could be effective in some circumstances, but none of the products investigated by the researchers had been proved to work. 
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