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