Lead, Mercury and Arsenic in Ayurvedic Products: What Studies and Cases Show

Urgent first

If someone is very unwell after taking an Ayurvedic or other remedy, or a baby or young child has been given a product that may contain mercury or lead, seek emergency care. In the US call 911, or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. See poisoning: what to do first. Bring the product and its packaging.

What this page covers

This page summarizes studies that tested products for metals. It is about specific products and samples, not about Ayurveda as a whole. For individual poisoning cases and agency warnings see lead poisoning cases and public health warnings; for the overview see heavy metals and product quality.

Evidence labels: established (these metals are toxic; some products tested contain them), evidence of harm (documented poisonings), insufficient evidence (how common this is across the whole market today).

How metals get into some products

Two different routes are described, and the studies below cannot always separate them.

1. On purpose, in rasa shastra. Rasashastra is the section of Ayurvedic pharmacy dealing with formulations that include minerals and metals, particularly mercury (parad). [1] A 2024 review says that, according to the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, the most widely used heavy metals are mercury, arsenic and lead. [1] The tradition describes a purification step (shodhana) before use. [2] That is a traditional explanation; whether a finished product is safe is a testing question.
2. By accident. Raw materials or manufacturing can add contamination to a product that was never meant to contain a metal. A review of the field says Ayurvedic medicines frequently lack standardized manufacturing processes and quality control. [2]

What testing found

NCCIH also reports a 2015 survey of people who use Ayurvedic preparations in which 40 percent had elevated blood lead levels, and says about one in four supplements tested had high lead and almost half high mercury. [7] NCCIH describes a 2015 case report linking raised blood lead in a 64-year-old woman to preparations bought on the internet. [8]

How strong is this evidence?

The samples are real products that were bought, seized or investigated, so they show that contaminated products exist and have been sold in several countries. They do not show how common contamination is among all products now. An earlier review of Asian herbal medicines made the same point: the majority of data was anecdotal and insufficient to define prevalence figures. [9] We did not find a recent market-wide survey. Treat the percentages above as examples from specific samples, not as a rate you can apply to a product you are holding.

What the metals can do

The FDA says using unapproved Ayurvedic products with harmful levels of heavy metals may result in high blood pressure, kidney injury, fatigue, gastrointestinal distress and neurologic symptoms. [10] Health Canada lists lead's effects as including abdominal pain, anemia, changes in blood pressure and kidney and brain damage, with children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women most susceptible. [11]

Practical points

• Be most cautious with products described as bhasma, rasa or sindura, or as "mineral" or "metal" preparations, with products with no ingredient list, and with products shipped from overseas. Victoria's health department (Australia) also advises against Ayurvedic medicines lacking an AUST R or AUST L number. [12]
• A "GMP" label did not show a product was clean in the 2008 study. [4]
• Tell your clinician which product you use. Blood tests for metals are ordered by clinicians; do not buy home kits or "detox" products.
• Report suspected metal-containing products. In the US the FDA asks for reports to its MedWatch program. [13] See also reporting a problem with an Ayurvedic product.

Related pages

• Adulteration and undeclared drugs in Ayurvedic products
• Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia and quality standards