Maximum Safety and Results
Maharishi Ayurveda Medicines and Heavy Elements
These notes are designed to put into context the recent reports of heavy metals found in some Ayurvedic preparations in USA.
General Considerations
There is a class of Ayurvedic formulas, derived from the ancient Ayurvedic texts, which contain compounds of heavy elements such as Mercury, Arsenic and Lead. These are medicines and are designed for use for serious conditions and often produce valuable results when all else has failed. The advice of Maharishi Ayurveda Council of Vaidyas is that this group of products should only be used under the close supervision of an experienced vaidya (qualified Ayurvedic practitioner) and following the specified diet and routine.
The Ayurvedic texts specify lengthy procedures for preparing the heavy elements for use in these formulas. These procedures, if carefully and fully implemented, increase the benefits and reduce the toxicity of the elements. It is very important to use products from a reputable manufacturer who will not cut any corners of these traditional requirements.
The margin between the therapeutic and toxic dose for these heavy element products is much less than for the traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulas for which side effects are almost unknown.
A fully trained vaidya, who has undergone a 5 year training at a government approved Ayurvedic college in India or Sri Lanka followed by 1 year internship, is taught when and how to safely use these products, the signs of side effects to look out for and a range of procedures to counteract any side effects that may occur.
Heavy Element Formulas in the UK
Maharishi Ayurveda Products UK (MAP UK) does not import any products containing heavy elements
Such products would be considered to be medicines under UK law and would require full marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). We look forward to the day when these products are licensed as medicines in UK but until then we confine ourselves to importing food supplements and herbal medicines exempt from licensing for the promotion of health.
The Maharishi Ayurveda Practitioners Association (MAPA) and MAP UK are working with the European Herbal Practitioners Association to support the UK government’s plans to establish the statutory self-regulation of the practice of herbal medicine including Ayurveda. It is anticipated that this will make the presence of qualified practitioners of Ayurveda much better known to the public and as a result the possibility of misuse of Ayurveda will be reduced.
All Maharishi Ayurveda Products imported into UK are produced in a WHO GMP, ISO9001:2000 and HACCP certified facility. All batches are tested for heavy elements at the time of manufacture and again on import.
The maximum levels of elements allowed by MAP UK in our food supplement tablets are: Lead (Pb) 10 parts per million (ppm), Arsenic (As) 5 ppm, Cadmium (Cd) 2ppm , Mercury (Hg) 3ppm. These levels are in accord with standard practice. The maximum levels allowed in our pastes and ghees are lower than this. The actual levels found are generally below the level of detection and well below the maximum allowed levels.
Yours sincerely,
David Whitley,
General Manager, Ayurveda Limited (UK), 2007
Further Information
For further information:
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Disclaimer: The following information is presented for the sole purpose of imparting education on Ayurveda and neither the information nor the products are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, or are pregnant or nursing it may be wise to consult a health professional before making changes to your diet or routine.
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