Ayurvedic medicines, like every medicine, can be poison for the liver unless it is taken mindfully in the right quantity and quality and for a specified duration.
However, the side effects can be minimal in Ayurvedic medicines compared to the synthetic drugs used in allopathic systems of medicine. Every drug is poisonous for the liver, quotes eminent physician Dr. BM Hegde, a Padma Bhushan awardee.
“There is no pill for every ill, but there is an ill following every pill”, he aptly quotes in his TedX talks, highlighting the potential risks for drug-induced liver injury.
Drug-induced liver injuries are a growing concern as the liver is the prime organ responsible for metabolizing a majority of medications, where the first pass metabolism happens before it reaches the target organ.
Every drug is new to the liver and is metabolized as a foreign substance, adding a burden on this vital organ.
Repeated exposure to high doses, prolonged use, or harmful additives can interrupt its functioning, leading to liver damage. Do any cancer medications kill the cancer cells without destroying the normal cells?
This is what happens with every drug, whether it be Ayurvedic or, allopathic or any other traditional system
How does Ayurvedic medicine work in our body?
Ayurvedic medicine works in the body through an interplay of core principles that govern the therapeutic action of drugs, especially on the three doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha), the fundamental principles of the human body.
According to Ayurveda, drugs exert their effects based on their inherent qualities, namely Rasa, Guna, Veerya, Vipaka, and Prabhava. These properties work synergistically to address specific pathologies.
Rasa (Taste)
This indicates the flavour of the drug, which is linked to its therapeutic action. For example, the bitter taste (Tikta Rasa) is known to have a cooling and detoxifying effect on the body, which can help balance Pitta dosha.
Guna (Properties)
Guna refers to the inherent qualities of a drug, such as its light, heavy, dry, moist, etc. These qualities influence how the drug affects the body and its doshas. For instance, a drug with dry quality can help reduce vitiated Kapha dosha, and those with moist quality can reduce vitiated Vata dosha.
Vipaka (Post-digestive effect)
Vipaka refers to the final metabolic impact of a drug. There are several vipakas for a drug, such as Madhura vipaka (sweet post-digestive effect), which is generally nourishing and balancing.
Prabhava (Unique effect)
Prabhava is the unique or special effect of a drug that cannot be explained solely by its Rasa, Guna, or Vipaka. For example, some herbs may have effects that are not directly related to their taste or properties, such as the calming effect of Ashwagandha.
Veerya (Potency)
This refers to the inherent strength of the drug’s action, which can either be Ushna (hot) or Shita (cold). Potent drugs act more quickly and strongly, like Ushna herbs and Shita herbs , which are often used to balance Vata and Pitta Dosha respectively.
Apart from these principles, the timing, dosage, and method of administration are also important for a drug to act successfully.
Ayurveda uses formulations, such as Arishta and Asavas (Alcoholic Preparations) for extracting alcohol-soluble actives, Kwatha (decoctions) for removing water-soluble herbal actives, Vati (tablets), and Churna (powder) for concentrated actives, Ghrita (ghee), and Taila (oil) for fat-soluble actives, each designed to enhance the therapeutic action.
These processes enhance the absorption, stability, and action of the drug.
Why do some studies suggest that Ayurvedic medicines may not be good for liver health?
Some studies associate Ayurvedic medicines with liver toxicity, primarily due to improper usage or quality concerns. Contributing factors include:
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Supplements:
Ayurveda medicines are often tagged under OTC supplements, meaning they do not require a prescription to be purchased.
This can lead to inappropriate dosages and potential harm. Recently, there was an adverse event in Australia where a person was hospitalised due to severe lead poisoning after consuming Kamini Vidrawan Ras, an Ayurvedic formulation marketed as an “aphrodisiac ” and a “powerful stimulant” to improve energy levels and vitality, 9News reported.
The authorities banned it immediately, stating that it had higher levels of lead and mercury.
According to some sources, the tablets were reportedly bought from a Southeast Asian grocery store within the region but are believed to have been imported from overseas.
Kamini Vidrawan Ras is an Ayurvedic classical formulation containing Papaver somniferum or the opium poppy as one among the ingredients, which comes under Schedule E of The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, meaning they are poisonous drugs and require stringent quality control.
Despite this fact, they are sold in grocery stores or online markets, making them more reachable to laypeople for consumption without a prescription.
Herbo-Mineral Preparations:
Improperly processed bhasmas (metallic preparations) may retain the metallic properties and can pose a risk for those consuming it.
This primarily happens due to the lack of stringent regulatory compliance.
Unethical Sourcing of Herbs:
Herbs grown in contaminated soils or harvested unethically can accumulate toxins such as lead and arsenic.
Ayurveda emphasizes sourcing from clean, sustainable environments to ensure quality.
For instance, ashwagandha sourced from polluted lands may contain heavy metals that impact liver health.
Strict adherence to traditional Ayurvedic sourcing guidelines, such as selecting herbs during specific seasons or times, is essential for safety.
Similarly, the species of the plant is also important. For instance, Giloy/Guduchi/Chittamruth, a drug that has entered into controversy, is claimed to be liver-damaging.
The fact is the difference in species and adulteration.
The medicinally valuable herb is Tinospora cordifolia, while similar plants like Tinospora malabarica and Tinospora spinosa are available in the market as pollutants, and they are toxic.
These are harmful not only to the liver but to the entire body.
The drugs are described in Ayurvedic scriptures through their morphological characteristics; hence, it is easy for a qualified physician to identify the medicinal species, and they are documented according to modern standards these days for ease.
What are the common ingredients in Ayurvedic medicines?
Ayurvedic medicines can be classified into
- Herbal
- Herbo-mineral
- Animal Origin drugs,
Herbal
Herbal drugs contain extracts of a variety of herbs in a group. This is what Ayurveda suggests; Ayurveda always advocates the use of a combination of drugs instead of a single drug formula.
Through this combination, the toxicity of certain herbs can be nullified and hence can be consumed safely.
Herbo-mineral
Compounds like mercury, lead, and arsenic are included but undergo rigorous purification to remove toxic properties.
Animal-origin drugs
Animal-derived ingredients: Ghee, Milk, Cow dung, Cow urine, Goat Urine, Gorochana(ox bile), horns of elephants, rhinos, etc.
Ayurveda’s approach typically involves combining multiple herbs to balance efficacy and safety. For example, Wherever Vatsanabha(Aconitum ferox) is used in the formulation, Tankana Bhasma (purified borax) should be added in equal quantities to nullify the toxic effect of Vatsanabha. If Tankana is not available, Maricha (Piper nigrum) may be used in double the amount of Vatsanabha.
Are there any harmful chemicals in Ayurvedic medicines that can affect the liver?
The presence of harmful chemicals in Ayurvedic medicines depends on factors like brand reliability and regulatory compliance.
A good quality brand with GMP certifications may not contain dangerous levels of harmful chemicals.
The quality of medicines also varies from batch to batch and from medicine to medicine, even with reputed brands.
However, a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner can suggest a patient with good quality brands.
People claim Ayurveda contains heavy metals; yes, it does contain, but without the metallic properties.
It uses mercury, arsenic, lead, etc, but after thorough purification
Has Modern medicine never used arsenic in its formulations?
The main remedy for syphilis in earlier times was derived from arsenic. Literally, the Ayurvedic herbo-mineral formulations are life-saving formulations, though they require stringent caution while administering. However, Newton’s third law reminds us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction; likewise, for drugs, if it has an effect, there is a side effect.
Do Ayurvedic Medicines Contain Heavy Metals?
Ayurveda often uses Heavy metals in the form of “Bhasmas” for their therapeutic properties.
However, the metallic nature of the metals is removed through specific purification methods, as mentioned in the classics of Ayurveda.
This purification process makes the drug therapeutically viable and more bioavailable than herbal medications.
The purification process includes trituration, immersion, boiling, etc. The purified metal/ mineral is then incinerated into a bhasma, which is an ancient method of naon-technology.
It is then used for preparing medications.
If not purified as per the principles of Ayurveda, these metals can be toxic to the body.
Besides the metallic or mineral-origin products, the plant and animal-origin raw materials may, at times, contain Heavy metals.
This is because Heavy metals are naturally present in the environment and can accumulate in plants and animals through various sources such as soil, water and air.
Even the water we consume has heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, etc, if taken from improper sources. Hence, sourcing is what we need to focus more on.
How AYUSH Ministry Ensures Safety In Ayurvedic Medicines
It is crucial to ensure that the raw materials are sourced from reliable sources and tested for the absence of Heavy metals before being used in formulations.
Also, the metals/ minerals must be purified and processed and then taken into use.
The manufacturing must also be done by qualified and trained personnel under strict quality control guidelines.
The source of contamination can be polluted air, water and soil in which the drug grows, lack of purification of metals/mineral drugs as per the principles of Ayurveda, and excessive use of insecticides, herbicides and pesticides during extensive cultivation.
Ayush Ministry has regulated the permissible limits of heavy metals as:
- Lead: 10 ppm
- Mercury: 1.0 ppm
- Cadmium: 0.3 ppm
- Arsenic: 3.0 ppm
The safety can be ensured by
- Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)
- Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES)
- Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Among these techniques, ICP-MS is the most ideal, accurate and reliable for measuring Heavy metals due to its superior detection limit, high throughput, wide linearity range and fewer interferences.
Due to the potential health risks associated with Heavy metal contaminations, regulatory agencies in India and other countries have established guidelines and regulations for Heavy metal analysis.
Thus, heavy metal analysis is an important aspect of quality control for Ayurvedic medicines.
Henceforth, Heavy metal analysis must be performed as part of routine quality control to ensure that the products are safe and free from toxic contaminants
What precautions should be taken during Ayurvedic medication?
Ayurveda Pharmaceutics strongly recommends various safety aspects, like Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Field Collection Practices (GFCP) of medicinal plants and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for the preparation of quality-assured drugs.
Factors like place, soil, season and time for collection of natural drugs also play a significant role in the quality, strength and purity of drugs. With the tremendous expansion in the use of natural products, safety and efficacy, as well as quality control of ASU drugs, have become pivotal concerns for both health authorities and the public in general.
Nonclinical evaluation of drug safety usually consists of standard animal toxicology
studies. Animal toxicity studies need to be carried out to assess the potential undesirable
pharmaco-dynamic effects of drugs on physiological functions in relation to exposure within
the therapeutic range.
Here are some points one must take care of while taking Ayurvedic medicines for liver
- Take as per physician advice, as self-medication increases the risk of misuse and adverse effects.
- Beware of advice from quacks
- Take a Liver Function Test before consuming medicines
- Routine blood checkup if you are doubtful about liver toxicity
- Look for products from reputed brands with GMP certification, and if they are outside India, FDA certification is mandatory for quality assurance. Some may claim false GMP certification hence talk to a physician before use
- Mixing Ayurvedic and allopathic medicines without supervision can lead to harmful interactions.
- Long-term use of certain metal-based formulations should be avoided unless medically advised.
- Avoid medicines claiming magical cures for illnesses, although the government has laid strict rules through the Drugs and Magical Remedies Act.
How long can we safely consume Ayurvedic medicines?
The duration depends on the formulation and chronicity of the disease. Herbs like Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) and Triphala are generally safe for long-term use.
However, heavy-metal-based formulations should only be used for short durations under strict supervision. Studies recommend periodic health monitoring during prolonged therapy.
Generally, formulas like kashayams are safe for weeks. However, rejuvenating formulations like Chyawanprash may be consumed for extended periods if monitored by a practitioner.
Chronic use of herbo-mineral formulations/ Rasa oushadhis requires strict oversight. Mostly, Ayurvedic medicines can be consumed safely for 41 days. However, for chronic use, consult a physician for more personalised advice.
What should we consider while taking Ayurvedic medicines?
Personalised Dosages:
Based on individual condition and chronicity of the disease, after careful analysis of the whole body through modern laboratory analytics.
Dietary Adjustments:
Certain foods may enhance or inhibit the medicine’s effects.
For instance, while consuming guggulu-based formulation, one must avoid foods that are hot in potency and sour in taste.
Authenticity Verification:
Check product certifications and avoid unregulated products.
Can liver patients take Ayurvedic medicine?
Yes, Liver patients can benefit from specific Ayurvedic herbs; for instance, there are several liver protective formulations in Ayurveda, like kale (Andrographis paniculata), Bhumi amalaki (Phyllanthus niruri), Kutki (Picrorhiza kurroa) known for hepatoprotective properties.
Laypeople may not be very aware of the parts that are to be used for a particular condition.
For example, the tender leaves of Bhumi Amalaki are recommended for jaundice as per Ayurveda.
Still, if a person uses mature leaves, it may pose a risk to liver health, as when the leaves mature, there will be the addition of certain compounds and a reduction in the quantities of beneficial compounds.
This might pose a risk to humanity and is probably the result of self-medication.
Hence, one must take these medications depending on the condition of the disease, not by the advice of those having similar situations like you. A drug that is beneficial for one might be poison for another.
Hence, without medical advice, any medicine, whether herbal or allopathic, may exacerbate liver conditions.
Which plants and herbs can affect liver health?
Prolonged use of any herb and those tagged toxic under Schedule E of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act can harm the liver. These include
- Ahiphena (Except seeds) – Papaver somniferum
- Arka – Calotropis procera
- Bhallataka – Semecarpus anacardium
- Bhanga (Except seeds) – Cannabis sativa (Except seeds)
- Danti – Baliospermum montanum
- Datura – Datura metal
- Gunja (seed) – Abrus precatorius (seed)
- Jaipala (seed) – Croton tiglium
- Karaveera – Nerium indicum
- Langali – Gloriosa superba
- Parasika Yavani – Hyoscyamus niger
- Vatsanabha (Vishamushti) – Aconitum chasmanthum, Strychnos nux-vomica
- Shringivisha – Aconitum chasmanthum
III. Drugs of Mineral Origin:
- Gauri Pashana – Arsenic.
- Hartala – Orpiment- Arsenic trisulphide.
- Manahashila – Realgar-Arsenic disulphide.
- Parada – Mercury.
- Rasa Karpura – Hydrargyri subchloridum.
- Tuttha – Copper sulphate.
- Hingula – Cinnabar.
What are the symptoms of liver damage caused by a medicine?
Signs of drug-induced liver damage include:
- Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice).
- Fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
- Headache, fever
- Abdominal pain or swelling.
- Dark urine and pale or clay-colored stools.
- Rashes
- Elevated liver enzymes in blood tests.
If symptoms arise during Ayurvedic medication, consult a physician immediately.
How can we use Ayurvedic medicine without health risks?
You can use ayurvedic medicine safely, you can ensue the following during ayurvedic medication
Adopt a Holistic Approach
Combine Ayurveda with proper dietary guidelines as per physician advice.
Choose Reputed Brands
Verify certifications and research the manufacturer’s reputation.
Monitor Health Regularly
Perform routine checkups to detect potential side effects early.
Choose Medicines Wisely
All that tags 100% herbal might not be so, and hence seek advice from a physician, research the brand’s reputation, and consume
Educate Yourself
Understand the prescribed medicine’s purpose, ingredients, and potential risks.
Conclusion
Ayurvedic medicine, rooted in nature, holds immense potential for liver health when practiced responsibly. However, like any medicinal system, it carries risks if misused.
Ensuring safety requires qualified guidance, adherence to quality standards, and regular monitoring.
By balancing ancient wisdom with modern practices, Ayurveda can serve as a powerful, safe, and sustainable tool for holistic health.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzTvEK1sVi0
