Herbal Remedies Found to Contain Toxic Heavy Metals

[Dover]

Propaganda to discredit herbals, or a real concern?


SCIENCE NEWS
December 15, 2004


Herbal Remedies Found to Contain Toxic Heavy Metals

Some herbal remedies may do more harm than good. Researchers writing today in the Journal of the American Medical Association report that 20 percent of herbal medicine products sampled contained dangerous levels of heavy metals.

Unlike prescription drugs, herbal medicine products can be sold as dietary supplements, which are not required to undergo rigorous testing before entering the marketplace. Indeed, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) does not require proof of safety or efficacy. Robert B. Saper, now at Boston University's School of Medicine, and his colleagues purchased imported Ayurvedic herbal medicine products from stores near Boston's city hall and had them tested for metal contamination. They discovered that a fifth of the 70 samples tested contained lead, mercury or arsenic, or some combination of all three, in significant quantities. If taken as directed, the products would expose a person to more of the metals than is deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency....cont'd

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=0006CF30-606B-11BF-A06B83414B7F0000

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

1. Is that the real problem,

or just a symptom of general environmental contamination?

Disclaimer: I read only the portion of the article that you posted.

[Eloriel]

2. My thoughts exactly

Of course, it is always preferrable to go for "organic" products, even herbal preparations, whenever possible.

[LWolf]

3. I heard this discussed on NPR this morning.

I believe that it is definitely propaganda to discredit herbals. I buy organic herbs. I don't think that means no heavy metals; I haven't looked at certification requirements in some years, but I don't think they test the soil. I think "organic" is a definition pertaining to how crops are weeded and fed.

Environmental degredation is a fact; it would be interesting to do soil tests on all our cropland and see what the levels of heavy metals are. Of course, if growing crops on contaminated soil or in contaminated air (?) or with contaminated water is the problem, it won't be just herbs that are affected.

[Dover]

5. I know that organic farmers have to test their soil before being certified

to grow organically. That's mainly to be sure there aren't any contaminants to begin with. I don't know if that's a regular part of the certification renewal or not, or what they test for. Probably pesiticides primarily.

I remember reading a story about the heavy metals and toxins found in the recycled composts in California. I can't remember now what the source for the compost was....but everyone was shocked to discover how widespread the use was...and how toxic.

I read a story recently that said the current growing techniques for foods (rapid growth through different means) for market caused the foods to contain much fewer nutrients than were traditionally counted as being in our foods. So using old models for determining nutrional value was not accurate.

Sigh. Time to get serious about a personal veggie and herb garden I guess.

[LWolf]

6. It's definitely time for that.

I'd like to move towards growing more of my own food.

The best compost is what you make yourself; you know what's gone into it, then. Being compost doesn't make it organic, or good for the soil, if the wrong sorts of ingredients were used. Yard waste, for example. If the yard waste is coming from yards saturated with herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, residuals will end up in the compost. If your "forest products" compost is "heated up" with sewage sludge, your going to get heavy metals.

[Elidor]

4. I'd give it more credence if it didn't come from an organization

Which has resisted supplements tooth and nail at every turn and lobbied the FDA to make some supplements subject to prescription or outlaw many of them altogether.

I do not trust the AMA, and many of their members are ignorant, closed-minded propagandists in support of their own hegemony, who have further been bought off by the pharmaceutical industry.

So far, it's like Burger King saying that pizza causes cancer. Let an independent group try to replicate these results. If the people at Life Extension Foundation (lef.org) were to say this, it would carry much more weight with me.

[loudsue]

7. lef.org ..... I checked it out -- it's a good site!

Thanks for including that! :hi:

:kick: