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HEAVY METALS CONTENTS IN AYURVEDIC PRODUCTS Question: Will the Minister of Health And Family Welfare be pleased to state: - (a) Whether the level of lead, mercury and arsenic in some of the ayurvedic products exported by the Indian manufacturers has been found beyond the permissible limit; (b) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto; and (c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard? Answer: The Minister Of State For Health & Family Welfare (Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi) (a), to (c) The permissible level of lead, mercury and arsenic in Ayurvedic products as per WHO standards, which has been acceptable by the Department is 10 ppm, 1 ppm and 3 ppm respectively. As per the article published in Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) dated 27th August 2008, one fifth of the Indian manufactured Ayurvedic products bought on the Internet contain detectable levels of lead, mercury and arsenic. After the report is published, Government has taken immediate steps to test the reports appearing in JAMA article by reputed and accredited laboratories. Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS) has also undertaken a study to test the toxicity/safety profile of metal-based bhasmas. The study is jointly being carried out with the Industrial Toxicology Research Center (ITRC), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Lucknow. Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine (PLIM), Ghaziabad has also been directed to procure samples of all the products mentioned in JAMA article and send them to Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad for heavy metal analysis by electron spectroscopic chemical analysis as well as X-ray flourescence spectroscopy. The manufacturers of Ayurvedic medicines have been directed to get safety/ toxicity studies carried out for their products by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories / Good Laboratories Practices (NABL/GLP accredited laboratories and send their report in respect of acute, sub acute and chronic safety/toxicity drugs studies. After examination it is found that no exported herbal ayurvedic medicine from India contain heavy metals beyond the permissible limit. As far as purely herbal Ayurvedic formulations are concerned presence of heavy metals is not detected. As regard herbo-mineral and herbo- metallic preparations metals are an essential ingredient of these formulations and therefore are bound to be present in these, however they are permitted to be used only after due purification and only in small quantities to act as catalysts for activation of other herbal ingredients in order to increase the efficacy of the medicines. The metallic preparations in the form of compounds of metals triturated in the form of Bhasmas are rendered safe after purification with herbs and burning in fire for a prescribed number of times. # A Press release was issued on 2nd September, 2008 with detailed comments by the Department of AYUSH, after article published in JAMA (U.S.) 27th August, 2008 alleging heavy metals in Ayurvedic medicines. # The following other necessary orders have also been issued by the Central government to ensure safety and efficacy of AYUSH products in the country and abroad. • Government has introduced mandatory testing for heavy metals in all purely herbal Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines to be exported with effect from 01.01.06 onwards. This has been done to meet the regulatory requirements of importing countries. • State Drug Licensing Authorities have been directed to ensure full compliance by all ASU drug manufacturers of the provisions of Rule 161 (1) and (2) relating to displaying on the label of the container or in a leaflet to be inserted in the package of an ASU drug, the true list of all the ingredients used in the manufacture of the preparation together with the quantity of each of the ingredients incorporated therein. • A research project has been sanctioned to various laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Golden Triangle Partnership Project to study the physiochemical characteristics of 8 most widely use Bhasmas and to carry out their toxicity studies. • Good Manufacturing Practices have been made mandatory for all Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani drug manufacturing units in the country. • Department of AYUSH has discussed with Minister of Commerce to set up an AYUSH Export Promotion Council under the Department of AYUSH to take care of critical issues like testing and certification of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines for export. • Govt. have constituted Pharmacopoeia Committees of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems of medicines for preparation of Pharmacopoeias to ensure the quality of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani drugs. • Captain Shreeniwasmurti Drug Research Institute for Ayurveda, Chennai, India Toxicology Research Centre (presently IITR, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research), Lucknow and Sri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi have analyzed about 600 plants and it was found that lead arsenic and mercury levels were within the permissible limit. • State Licensing Authorities have been directed to constitute an Expert Committee under the provision of Rule 154 (2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rule, 1945 for streamline the system for licensing of patent and proprietary Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani products. MEDICINAL PLANTS ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION Question: Will the Minister of Health And Family Welfare be pleased to state: - (a) Whether the Medicinal Plants are on the verge of extinction; (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons there for; and (c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard? Answer: Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi) (a) & (b): No, Sir. However, the medicinal plants, like other groups of plants and animals, are threatened largely due to degradation of forests owing to various anthropogenic factors. (c): The Ministry of Environment & Forests formulates policies for protection of forests. The Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 have provisions for protection of forests and wildlife, including medicinal plants. The National Biodiversity Act, 2002 regulates the access to forest resources, including medicinal plants. The Ministry of Environment & Forests is also supporting a number of projects on conservation by setting up Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) that are primarily located in forest areas. Plantation of medicinal plants in degraded forest lands is supported through schemes of the National Afforestation & Eco-development Board (NAEB), Ministry of Environment & Forests. Government has also set up Medicinal Plants Board to coordinate matters relating to medicinal plants with Ministries/ Departments and other stakeholders for ensuring availability of medicinal plants of quality to the industry on a sustained basis. The Board has undertaken various programmes for conservation and development of medicinal plants. Central assistance is provided under the following schemes: i) “Central Sector Scheme for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” The activities for which assistance is provided are as under: • Survey, Inventorisation and in-situ conservation of rare, endangered and threatened species of medicinal plants and setting up Medicinal www.amam-ayurveda.org 4
Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) • Ex-situ Conservation / Resource augmentation of Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) and prioritized species in high demand • Support to Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs)/ Panchayats / Van Panchayats for value addition, warehousing and marketing • Research, Development, Quality and Certification • Promotional activities like setting up school herbal gardens, home herbal gardens • Capacity building and training programmes for primary collectors, farmers and other stakeholders ii) “Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Mission on Medicinal Plants” The activities for which assistance is provided are as under: • Nursery development • Cultivation of prioritized plants required by the industry • Post harvest management • Marketing • Setting up quality testing laboratories • Setting up/ up gradation of herbal mandies • Crop insurance • Organic certification Disclaimer: -The material has been prepared on the basis of the Questions and Answers provided by the Loksabha website. For the authoritative text and for supplementary questions and answers to Questions, please consult the official report of Parliamentary Debates of Lok Sabha, printed separately. Laugh! It’s the best Medicine Managers and holidays - Why don’t all the managers go into holiday at once? - So people can’t see that the company works without them... Directors meeting - The president of a large corporation opened his directors meeting by announcing: - All those who are opposed to the plan I am about to propose will reply by saying: “I resign”. How many executives - How many executives does it take to change a light bulb? - None, they like to keep employees in the dark. Higher salary - A worker says to his boss: If you don’t add to my salary Rs.1000 I will tell the others that you added Rs.2000! Lamp on the beach - A sales director and two of his best hired men were strolling on the beach and find a lamp. A genie gets out and gives them the chance for a wish of each: One of the hired man: Me first, me first! I want to be in Bahamas in a very fast and luxurious ship... and he disappears! The other one: I want to be in the Caribbean Islands with the most beautiful woman’s in the world… and he disappears! The Directors turn: I want them in a hour back to work! The moral: Always let your boss talk first! Amazing Brain Facts • The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons. • <strong>You</strong>r brain is 80% water. • From all the oxygen that a human breathes, twenty percent goes to the brain. • Once a human reaches the age of 35, he/she will start losing approximately 7,000 brain cells a day. The cells will never be replaced. • It is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns the rest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, it ignores the resulting sensation. • The most common mental illness is Anxiety Disorders. • <strong>You</strong>r brain is more active and thinks more at night than during the day. • Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men. • People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain. www.amam-ayurveda.org 5
Page 1 and 2: Volume 1 No. 2 October 2009 - Decem
Page 3: Questions & Answers in Lok Sabha Ge
Page 7 and 8: BIBHITAKA (Fruit) SYNONYMS Sanskrit
Page 9 and 10: All India Ayurvedic Congress Observ
Page 11 and 12: Vaidya Dr. Devendra Triguna felicit
Page 13 and 14: Maintaining of records of raw mater
Page 15 and 16: Upcoming Events XIII International

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