The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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    Toxic metals and pesticides in the ayurvedic formulation, Dashmoola

    Dashmoola is a popular herbal formulation in ayurvedic medicine. It’s used to reduce fever and modify the immune response.

    In this study, scientists from the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, India tested the roots and stems from 10 herbs used to prepare Dashmoola.

    And, the results.

    • The heavy metals arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and nickel (but not mercury) were present in most of the samples.
    • In a few samples lead and cadmium concentrations were higher than the limits set by the World Health Organization.
    • The pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), which is a chemical similar to DDT, were found in 2 samples.

    The bottom line?
    The findings are not surprising. Earlier ayurveda entries on this site have summarized other studies with similar findings here and here.

    Useful information about heavy metal toxicity is available at the LifeExtension website. Background on DDT and DDE is here.

    10/10/07 22:15 JR

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