Phd Departmental Oral Examination Committee Assessment Form: Fill & Download for Free

So most of the allegations are done by haters to malign the name of AyurvedaSo Ayurveda is the best and the original system of medicine on the planetRest all are duplicateAnd allopathy (modern medicine) is good but wont allegate it you know people in allopathy do so much hard workSo what are basic allegations on Ayurveda?So basic allegations are = 1)vata,pita and kapha has no proof2) the use of heavy metals3) Ayurveda is only for basic thiings and not for emergency and complex thingsSo answer is going to be long so short answer1)vata pitta and kapha = the tridosha concept is scientifically proven by prakriti experiment done by thangaraj.2)use of hevy metals= in Ayurveda the heavy metals are thoroughly purified bu processes like sodhana and samskara and many more and particle size is in very control and its safe and even clinically tested by scientists and its tested in india 1000s of years3)Ayurveda is not for complex = Ayurvedic surgeon sushruta performed first plastic, cataract and dental surgury and his statue is even kept at royal Australian college of surgeons Melbourne (even on google he is father of surgery)So lets fight with proofVata,pita and kapha is unscientific = According to Ayurveda, detection provproveproved u treatment of disease depends on the dominant forces in a person’s constitution. These forces are characterised as dosha prakritis and have three elements – vata, pitta and kapha. Thangaraj began to look at the prakriti classification of Ayurveda through a geneticist’s lens. “Every disease and every characteristic feature has a genetic basis,” he said. “I thought this also should have a genetic basis. I proposed this work to look for markers across the whole genome to see if there is a difference at the genotype level between these prakritis.”Over the next six years Thangaraj collaborated with scientists from four other research institutions and physicians from two well-known schools of Ayurveda to dig into the question – can prakritis be explained at a genomic level? The results of the study were recently published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, which show the answer might very well be yes.The prakriti experimentThe experiment was carried out on individuals who, according to conventional Ayurvedic wisdom and techniques, presented any one dosha much more than the other two. Two sets of Ayurvedic physicians tested 3,000 people who were also scrutinised using Ayusoft, a software developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing in Pune that converts the prescription in Ayurvedic texts into analytical tools. Only those people who were deemed to have 60% or more of any one dosha made the final cut of about 262 individuals.The scientists then got down to work testing the DNA of these 262 individuals. Thangaraj examined the DNA for Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs, which are changes at single points in a DNA sequence that are common in a population but are often genetic markers for diseases. Meanwhile, Pataru Kondiah at the Indian Institute of Science studied gene expression and Kapaettu Satyamoorthy at Manipal University looked at epigenetic markers in the same DNA samples.The analysis threw up two very significant results. Thangaraj identified 52 genetic markers that were found in only one dosha but not the others. Based on his population research, Thangaraj knew that the markers he was looking at would segregate individuals based on their genotype. He now saw three distinct clusters among the markers, one for each dosha. “Irrespective of caste, linguistic group or geographical region the segregation happens based on the prakritis,” he said.Genetic explanation for pittaIn addition, the team found a strong expression of the gene PGM1, which is responsible for sugar metabolism in the body, in individuals that were characterised as pitta dosha.“If you look at the modern scientific aspects particularly, the pharmacogenetic point of view, there are genes to metabolise whatever drug we take and a mutation in that gene can lead to therapeutic effects or adverse affects,” Thangaraj explained. “The basic characteristic of pitta is high metabolism. The function of this PGM1 gene and the characteristic of pitta is directly correlated.”Similar to the pitta and the PGM1 gene, the team saw some signals between gene function and certain traits of kapha and vata doshas but that were less statistically significant.The experiment by Thangaraj and his collaborators was conducted under the aegis of the Task Force on Ayurvedic Biology headed by Valiathan. The task force has a straightforward, if difficult, job. ”We take a doctrine or a concept in Ayurveda and see if we can convert it into an experimental problem,” said Valiathan. “That is not easy and requires a lot of thinking and discussion. How do you make dosha prakriti a biological question that we can test in the lab?This proves Ayurvedic concept of vata,pitta and kapha2) heavy metals in Ayurveda are unscientific and unsafe = In India, it has been estimated that about 14% sick persons utilizes Indian system of medicine. On the basis of preference, 18.7% population uses Ayurveda for normal ailments, 7.1% in case of sickness and 5% in case of serious ailments.[1] A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that many people in developing countries still rely on herbal medicine.[2] Majority of people believe that herbal medicines are safe and nontoxic, unlike modern chemotherapeutic agents. Individuals generally use herbal medicine for prolonged periods to achieve a desirable effect. On contrarily, it has been reported that herbal drugs used in the Indian subcontinent and China contain higher concentration of heavy metals than in other areas.[3–5] Another study showed that one of five Ayurvedic herbal medical products, produced in South Asia contains high levels of lead, mercury, and arsenic.[6,7] However, heavy metals are integral to some formulations and are been used for centuries.[8] Ayurvedic formulations are produced after different processes like detoxification, trituration and heating etc., of raw material. Therefore, elements present in finished products do not produce toxicity. Ayurvedic textbooks takes note of the toxicity of heavy metals and recommend special pharmacological process to detoxify them. Those metals which are obtained from ores may contain several impurities. These impurities are removed by Shodhana process. The Shodhana process removes unwanted part from the raw material and separate out impurities. In context of Bhasma, Shodhana means purifying and making the product suitable for the next step i.e. Marana. Ayurveda classifies Shodhana into (a) general process and (b) specific process. In general process for Shodhana, the sheets of metals are heated till red hot and are successively dipped into liquids like oil, buttermilk, cow's urine etc., and the procedure is repeated 7 times. In specific process for Shodhana, for some metals a specific process is described for Shodhana e.g. for purification of Jasada, the molten mass is poured in cow's milk for 21 times.[9] Ayurvedic text books emphasize the role of heavy metals in the proper function of the human body. In Rasa Shastra, the metals and the minerals are also termed as “Dhatus” and “Updhatus” because of their specific role in biological systems i.e. they can sustain body tissues by supplementing some of the essential elements to the tissues, whose deficiency causes many undesired problems or disease in the body. The available Ayurvedic literature emphasis the need of metals in maintaining the metabolic equilibrium of the human body. These metals are mercury, gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc etc., Any deficiency, excess or imbalance in the composition of these metals leads to certain metabolic and anabolic disorders. Equilibrium state of metals in the human body provides the basis for strong immunity.[10] Therefore, any imbalance in the composition of these metals could cause diseases and equilibrium of these metals is seen as a preconditioning for a normal immune defense and general health. Therefore, heavy metals from outside are deliberately added and processed with herbal plants to form herbo-metallic drugs.[11] Each time before burning, the metallic powders are processed with fresh herb juices to neutralize their toxicity. Some of the metals are burnt up to 100 times to make sure the heaviness or toxic effect of the metal is nullified. Once the “Bhasma” is ready it is tested for toxicity. One of the numerous tests the Bhasma has to pass through is called “Varitar” which means the Bhasma, once ready for internal use, floats on water indicating non-existence of heavy metal in it. The “Bhasma” are then transformed to compound formulas by mixing herbal powders. Special herbal juices are used for processing the compound formula for no more toxic metals but for non-toxic herbo-metallic compounds. Therefore, it is claimed that heavy metals are detoxified with herbal extract and excreted out from the body without any harm to body.[12] Bhasmas are metal preparations which are subjected to physico-chemical processing called Samskaras to purify, detoxify and retain the therapeutic properties. Ayurvedic experts have estimated that 35-40% of the approximately 600 medicines in the Ayurvedic formulary, intentionally contain at least one metal.[13] On the other hand, there are certain plant species, which has high affinity to absorb certain traces of metals from the soil. There are more than 60 plant species which has a natural tendency to absorb traces of metals from the soil which could be used as a natural ingredient and may be important for therapeutic efficacy. Here, trace metal might be working as an active ingredient in the plant material[14] and the possibility of presence of heavy metals in herbal, herbo-metallic and Bhasma are unavoidable. Hence, the aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of chronic administration of Calcury tablet (herbal), Energic-31 capsule (herbo-metallic) and Basanta Kusumakara Rasa (BKR) on neurobehavioral activity and oxidative stress in rat.Materials and MethodsExperimental animalsMale wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were used in the present study. Rats were randomly divided into 14 groups with 6 rats in each group. The rats were obtained from the Central Animal House Facility of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and housed in the departmental animal house. The rats were group housed in polyacrylic cages (38 × 23 × 10 cm) with not more than 4 animals per cage and maintained under standard laboratory conditions with natural dark and light cycle. They were allowed free access to standard dry rat diet (Ashirwad, Punjab, India) and tap water ad-libitum. However, 12 h before the behavioral test, the rats were deprived of food as this is known to enhance their motivation to perform the test.Permission of institutional animal ethics committeeThe protocol of the work mentioning details of the experimental technique, justification of the use of animals, number of animals to be used, type of anesthesia, surgical procedure to be used were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi India (497/IAEC/09).Drugs preparation, dose and duration of treatmentCalcury tablet (herbal), Energic-31 capsule (herbo-metallic) and BKR were purchased from market (New Delhi, India) and suspended in normal saline. Mercury chloride, lead acetate, cadmium chloride, sodium arsenite were purchased from Merck (USA) and dissolved in normal saline. These three Ayurvedic formulations have been selected on the basis of preliminary study in which seventy eight drugs were analyzed for heavy metals content. These Ayurvedic formulations contained heavy metals above permissible limit. Hence, these formulations were considered for toxicological evaluation in rats.Each tablet of Calcury contains Saxifraga ligulata (150 mg), Saccharum officinarium (75 mg), Boerhaavia diffusa (75 mg), Hazarat Yahud Pishti (37.5 mg), Yava Kshara (15 mg). Extracts derived from Parmelia perlata (150 mg), Crataeva nurvala (150 mg), Tribulus terrestris (75 mg), Picrorrhiza kurroa (75 mg), Tinospora cordifolia (75 mg) and preservatives used were sodium Methlparaben and Sodium Propylparaben. The drug manufacturer was Charak Pharmaceutical Pvt.(I) Limited (Batch no. CA177H). Weight of each tablet was 625 mg. Human dose indicated on package insert was one tablet twice a day.Energic-31 capsule contains Shudha Shilajita (450 mg), Shankha Bhasma (10 mg), Tribang Bhasma (30 mg), Shudha Kupeelu (50 mg), Kukkutandtwak Bhasma (20 mg), Muktashukti Bhasma (10 mg), Swarnamakshik Bhasma (10 mg), Shatavari (20 mg), Konch ke beez (10 mg), Asgandh (20 mg), Dalcheeni (10 mg), Nagkesar (10 mg), Gokhru (10 mg), Sonth (10 mg), Loh Bhasma (10 mg), Lodh Pathani (10 mg), Chhoti Ilaichi (10 mg), Jabitri (10 mg), Suranjan Meetha (10 mg), Bidhara (10 mg), Jaiphal (10 mg), Moosli Safed (10 mg), Samundra Sosh (10 mg), Long (10 mg), Babool ka Gond (10 g), Talamkhana (10 mg), Chhoti Papal (10 mg), Kali Mirch (10 mg), Safed Chandan (10 mg), Akarkara (10 mg) and Konkol Mirch (10 mg). Weight of each capsule content was 725 mg. The drug manufacturer was Ayurved Vikas Sansthan (Batch no. 997). Human dose indicated on package was one capsule twice a day.Basanta Kusumakara Rasa (BKR) consists of Prawal Bhasma, Chandrodaya or Ras Sindoor, Moti Pishti, Abhrak Bhasma, Raupya Bhasma, Suvarna Bhasma, Shatavari, Adulasa Swarasa, Ganna, Kamal Ke Phool, Mahuti Ke Phool, Kadali-Kanda, Malati Phool, Chandan, and Kasturi. The source of composition is Siddhayoga Sangraha. The drug manufacturer was Baidyanath (Batch no. 10). And the human dose is 125 mg/day.[15]Animal dose were calculated from human dose per day according to the method followed by Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (USA), 2005.[16] Three dose of each drug (Calcury tablet, Energic-31 capsule, BKR) were selected for toxicological study according to Schedule Y of Drugs and Cosmetics Acts, 2005.[17] Three doses were human equivalent Therapeutic Dose (TD), 5 times of human equivalent Therapeutic Dose (5TD) and 10 times of human equivalent Therapeutic Dose (10TD).Animals dose for Calcury tablets were 130, 650, 1300 mg/kg, for Energic-31 capsule were 150, 750, 1500 mg/kg and for BKR were 26, 130, 260 mg/kg. All the solutions were prepared in such a way that each animal was administered solution less than 1 ml. Solutions for Calcury tablet were 50, 200, 300 mg/ml, for Energic-31 capsule were 50, 200, 400 mg/ml and for BKR were 10, 50, 100 mg/ml. All the drug solutions were administered orally to rats for 28 days. The doses and concentration for mercury chloride, lead acetate, cadmium chloride, sodium arsenite was 10 mg/kg/day and 5 mg/ml were administered orally to rat for 28 days.[18]Experimental designOn day 1st(Baseline, pre-treatment) and on 29th day (post-treatment) neurobehavioral activity was assessed by elevated plus maze, foot fault apparatus, photoactometer, rota rod and passive avoidance apparatus. Animals were decapitated under anaesthesia after neurobehavioral activity test. Brain was removed and washed with ice-cold normal saline and stored at−70°C. Brain tissue was thawed and homogenized with 10 times (w/v) ice cold 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH-7.4). Aliquots of homogenate from rat's brain were used to determine glutathione (GSH), MDA level and heavy metal concentration.Behavioral testsCognitive impairment was evaluated by using passive avoidance and elevated plus maze.[19] The motor incoordination was tested by using rota rod and photoactometer.[20] Only one animal was tested at a time.Estimation of biochemical markers of oxidative stressThe oxidative stress markers, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced GSH levels were estimated in whole brain tissue of rats. The rats were anaesthetized under chloroform anesthesia to decapitate and the brains were quickly removed, cleaned by rinsing with chilled saline and stored at −70°C. The biochemical analysis was performed within 48 h.Measurement of lipid peroxidationMalondialdehyde (indicator of lipid peroxidation) was estimated by - Brain tissues were homogenized with 10 times (w/v) 0.1M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The reagents acetic acid 1.5 ml (20%, v/v) pH 3.5, 1.5 ml thiobarbituric acid (0.8%, w/v) and 0.2 ml sodium dodecyl sulfate (8.1%, w/v) were added to 0.1 ml of processed tissue sample. The mixture was then kept in boiling water for 60 min. The mixture was then cooled with tap water and 5 ml of n-butanol: pyridine (15:1, v/v) and 1 ml of distilled water were added to it. Then the mixture was vortexed and centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 10 min. The organic layer was withdrawn and absorbance was measured at 532 nm using a spectrophotometer (specord 2000, Analytik Jena, Germany). The concentration of MDA was determined by the linear standard curve.[21]Estimation of glutathioneReduced GSH was measured by - Equal quantity of homogenate was mixed with 10% trichlororacetic acid and centrifuged to separate the proteins. To 0.1 ml of this supernatant, 2 ml of 0.3 M phosphate buffer (pH 8.4), 0.5 ml of 5′5-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) and 0.4 ml of double distilled water were added. The mixture was vortexed and the absorbance was read at 412 nm within 15 min.[22]Estimation of heavy metalsLead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic levels were estimated in brain tissue by inductively coupled plasma –atomic emission spectrophotometer (ICP-AES, JY 2000-2, France). Brain tissues were digested by cold vapors digestion procedure. Metal levels were expressed in μg/g-wet tissue.[23,24]Statistical analysisAll datas are expressed as mean ± SEM. Drugs treated groups were compared to normal control and positive control group using one way ANOVA with posthoc Tukey test. Difference with a P < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. All the statistical analyses were performed using software (SPSS, version 15).Observations and ResultsEffect of chronic administration of Ayurvedic formulations on learning and memory in ratsOne trial passive avoidanceThere was significant decrease in mean retention latencies of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in mean retention latencies of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Table 1].Table 1Effect of Ayurvedic formulations on learning and memory and locomotor activityElevated plus mazeThere was significant increase in mean retention transfer latencies of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). On contrary, there was no significant change in mean transfer retention latencies of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Table 1].Effect of chronic administration of Ayurvedic formulations on locomotor activity in ratsPhotoactometer (spontaneous locomotor activity)There was significant decrease in spontaneous locomotors activity of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in spontaneous locomotors activity of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Table 1].Rota rodThere was significant decrease of retention time on rod of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in retention time on rod of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Table 1].Effect of chronic administration of Ayurvedic formulations on oxidative stress in ratsGlutathione estimationThere was significant decrease of GSH level in brain of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in GSH level in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Figure 1].Figure 1Effect of Ayurvedic formulations on brain malondialdehyde and glutathione levels in rats *P<0.05, ***P<0.01, ***P*0.001, aAs compared to normal controlMalondialdehyde estimationThere was significant increase of MDA level in brain of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in MDA level in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P > 0.05) [Figure 1].Effect of chronic administration of Ayurvedic formulations on rat's brain heavy metalsMercury estimationThere was significant increase of mercury concentration in brain of mercury treated groups (203.70 ± 5.15 μg/g) as compared to normal control group (2.01 ± 0.18 μg/g) (P < 0.001). However, there was also significant increase of mean mercury concentration level in brain with increasing doses of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001) but on contrary, the mercury in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group was significantly less as compared to mercury treated group (P < 0.001) [Table 2].Table 2Effect of Ayurvedic formulations on brain heavy metal levelsLead estimationThere was significant increase of lead concentration in brain of lead treated groups (421.90 ± 6.5 μg/g) as compared to normal control group (1.6 ± 1.5 μg/g) (P < 0.001). However, there was also significant increase of mean lead concentration in brain with increasing doses of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001) but on contrary, the lead in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group was significantly less as compared to lead treated group [Table 2].Cadmium estimationThere was significant increase of cadmium concentration in brain of cadmium treated groups (289.19 ± 5.35 μg/g) as compared to normal control group (0.44 ± 0.08 μg/g) (P < 0.001). However, there was also significant increase of mean cadmium concentration in brain with increasing doses of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001) but on contrary, the cadmium in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group was significantly less as compared to cadmium treated group [Table 2].Arsenic estimationThere was significant increase of arsenic concentration in brain of arsenic treated groups (88.4 ± 4.9 μg/g) as compared to normal control group (0.25 ± 0.05 μg/g) (P < 0.001). However, there was also significant increase of mean arsenic concentration in brain with increasing doses of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and Kusumkar ras (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group (P < 0.001) but on contrary, the arsenic in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group was significantly less as compared to arsenic treated group [Table 2].DiscussionAyurveda is a widely practiced system in India and the used formulations are herbal, herbo-metallic and Bhasma. Ayurvedic text books emphasize the role of metals in proper functioning of the human body. Therefore, metals are inevitable part deliberately added and processed with herbal plants to form herbo-metallic drugs.[11,25] Ayurvedic experts have estimated that 35-40% of the approximately 600 medicines in the Ayurvedic formulary intentionally contain at least one metal.[13] Bhasma contains only metals which are detoxified during processing (Shodhana). So possibility of presence of heavy metals in herbo-metallic and Bhasma are unavoidable. Therefore, objective of our study was the determination of effect of chronic administration of Ayurvedic formulations on neurobehavioral activity and oxidative stress in rats.The case reports suggests that lead content is a bigger problem with Indian HMPs and poisoning due to heavy metals have been regularly reported in the last three decades.[26–28] The mercury poisoning occurs by deposition in human cortical neuron and in a scattered group of neurons in the brain stem and cerebellum by generation of free radicals, release of intracellular calcium, lysozomal enzyme or cytoskeleton disorganization.[29] Neurological deficits due to organic mercury exposure includes encephalopathy with persistent neurological disabilities while inorganic mercury exposure produce polyneuropathy and tremor and further results decrease in visual acquity, ataxic gait and involuntary jerk movements. Most of the cognitive and emotional problems have been found in patients exposed to inorganic or organic mercury.[30]On contrary, our study shows that the animals treated with Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) containing heavy metals does not cause cognition impairment and motor incoordination while positive control group in which mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic salts were given orally to rats for 28 days caused cognition impairment and motor incoordination. The oxidative stress markers like MDA and GSH level has not been altered as compared to normal control group while there was significant decrease in GSH level and increase in MDA level in brain of positive control in which mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic salts were given orally to rats for 28 days. We observed the higher level of heavy metal concentration in rat's brain of positive control, Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group as compared to normal control group. However, mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic level in brain of Calcury (TD, 5TD, 10TD), Energic-31 (TD, 5TD, 10TD) and BKR (TD, 5TD, 10TD) treated group were significantly very less as compared to positive control in which mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic salts treated group. However, no sign and symptoms, toxic manifestations were observed in these groups. Possibility of raised heavy metals level in brain could be[1] low heavy metals level exposure to rats[2] heavy metal levels were estimated immediately after 28 days administration of drugs[3] heavy metals has longer half life and[4] elimination from the body is slow. Hence, rats treated with Ayurvedic formulations showed raised heavy metal levels in brain.The results of present study showed that herbo-metallic formulation and Bhasma are non-toxic even though these drugs contain metals. The reason for nontoxic nature of herbo-metallic formulation and Bhasma in animal could be,[1] metals in Ayurvedic formulation are not present in elemental form.[2] Physico-chemical state of the heavy metals in the form of Ayurvedic medicine is totally different from the known Physico-chemical forms of that metal.[12,13,28,31]Heavy metal preparations (Bhasma) have been used in Indian System of Medicine for centuries with claimed efficacy and safety. Processed mercury shows excellent therapeutic activities in low doses without producing toxic effect in the human subjects. The toxic effects are due to impure mercury or improper use of processed mercury. The complication and toxic effects of metals has already been mentioned in Ayurveda.[8,31] However, Ayurvedic literature also mentions that metals are subjected to Samskaras which attributes to purification, detoxification and restoration of its therapeutic properties.[32]ConclusionThe results of present study are coherent with the Ayurvedic literature. There were no significant changes in cognitive and motor functions and biochemical parameters of Calcury, Energic-31 and Basanta Kusumkara Rasa treated rats, demonstrates the safety of Ayurvedic formulations. These drugs are clinically used by a large number of populations without showing heavy metals toxicity. Hence, Calcury, Energic-31 and Basanta Kusumkara Rasa can be used at recommended dose and duration.Article informationAyu. 2012 Oct-Dec; 33(4): 569–575.doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.110514PMCID: PMC3665192PMID: 23723678Gajendra Kumar and Yogendra Kumar Gupta1PhD Scholar, Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India1Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaAddress for correspondence: Dr. Yogendra Kumar Gupta, Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi - 110 029, India. E-mail: [email protected] : © AYU (An International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda)This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.Articles from Ayu are provided here courtesy of Wolters Kluwer -- Medknow PublicationsReferences1. Singh P, Yadav RJ, Pandey A. Utilization of indigenous systems of medicine and homoeopathy in India. Indian J Med Res. 2005;122:137–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]2. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: Results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 1998;280:1569–75. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]3. Chan K. Some aspects of toxic contaminants in herbal medicines. Chemosphere. 2003;52:1361–71. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]4. Chan TY, Chan JC, Tomlinson B, Critchley JA. Poisoning by Chinese herbal medicines in Hong Kong: A hospital-based study. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1994;36:546–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]5. Dunbabin DW, Tallis GA, Popplewell PY, Lee RA. Lead poisoning from Indian herbal medicine (Ayurveda) Med J Aust. 1992;157:835–6. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]6. Saper RB, Kales SN, Paquin J, Burns MJ, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, et al. Heavy metal content of ayurvedic herbal medicine products. JAMA. 2004;292:2868–73. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]7. Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, Khouri N, Davis RB, Paquin J, et al. Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US-and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet. JAMA. 2008;300:915–23. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]8. Thatte UM, Rege NN, Phatak SD, Dahanukar SA. The flip side of Ayurveda. J Postgrad Med. 1993;39:179–82. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]9. Vaiday Dole. Bhasma. 1996. [Last cited 2012 Mar 15]. Available from: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhasma .10. Prakas VB. Australia: Presentation at First World Cancer Congress of Independent Medical Research Sydney; 1994. [Last cited 2012 Mar 15]. The therapeutic use of metals based on rasayan shastra of Ayurveda for the treatment of cancer. Available from: Rasayana - Wikipedia . [Google Scholar]11. Prpić-Majić D, Pizent A, Jurasović J, Pongracić J, Restek-Samarzija N. Lead poisoning associated with the use of Ayurvedic metal-mineral tonics. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1996;34:417–23. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]12. Chauhan P. Ayurvedic metallic medicines are not fatal. 2012. [Last cited 2012 Feb 11]. Available from: Ayurvedic Metallic Medicines are Non-Toxic -3 .13. Gogtay NJ, Bhatt HA, Dalvi SS, Kshirsagar NA. The use and safety of non-allopathic Indian medicines. Drug Saf. 2002;25:1005–19. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]14. Kohli KR. Vol. 1. Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh: Association of manufacturers of Ayurvedic medicines; 2005. [Last cited 2011 Dec 5]. Ayurveda heritage; pp. 1–16. Available from: [Goanet] Ayurvedic Medicines & Heavy metal issue . [Google Scholar]15. Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Part I and II. 2nd revised English ed. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India; 2005. p. 273. [Google Scholar]16. Guidance for industry nonclinical studies for the safety evaluation of pharmaceutical excipients. U.S: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Pharmacology/Toxicology. 2005. [Last cited 2012 March 15]. Available from: http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/index.htm .17. Schedule Y. Drugs and cosmetics (2nd amendment) rules. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of health). Requirements and guidelines for permission to import and/or manufacture of new drugs for sale or to undertake clinical trials. 2005. [Last cited 2012 February 10]. Available from: http://www.dbtbiosafety.nic.in/act/Schedule_Y.pdf .18. ATSDR. 1999a, Toxicological profile for mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic. 1999. [Last cited 2012 March 15]. Available from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=115 and tid=24 .19. Gupta YK, Veerendra Kumar MH, Srivastava AK. Effect of Centella asiatica on pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling, cognition and oxidative stress in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003;74:579–85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]20. Gupta YK, Briyal S, Sharma U, Jagannathan NR, Gulati A. Effect of endothelin antagonist (TAK-044) on cerebral ischemic volume, oxidative stress markers and neurobehavioral parameters in the middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke in rats. Life Sci. 2005;77:15–27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]21. Ohkawa H, Ohishi N, Yagi K. Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction. Anal Biochem. 1979;95:351–8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]22. Ellman GL. Tissue sulfhydryl groups. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1959;82:70–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]23. Jacobs MB, Yamaguchi S, Goldwater LJ, Gilbert H. Determination of mercury in blood. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1960;21:475–80. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]24. Kumar G, Srivastava A, Sharma SK, Gupta YK. Safety evaluation of an Ayurvedic medicine, Arogyavardhini vati on brain, liver and kidney in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;140:151–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]25. Chopra A, Doiphode VV. Ayurvedic medicine. Core concept, therapeutic principles, and current relevance. Med Clin North Am. 2002;86:75–89. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]26. Ernst E, White A. The BBC survey of complementary medicine use in the UK. Complement Ther Med. 2000;8:32–6. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]27. Lynch E, Braithwaite R. A review of the clinical and toxicological aspects of ‘traditional’ (herbal) medicines adulterated with heavy metals. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005;4:769–78. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]28. Garnier R, Poupon J. Lead poisoning from traditional Indian medicines. Presse Med. 2006;35:1177–80. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]29. Castoldi AF, Coccini T, Ceccatelli S, Manzo L. Neurotoxicity and molecular effects of methylmercury. Brain Res Bull. 2001;55:197–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]30. Garza A, Vega R, Soto E. Cellular mechanisms of lead neurotoxicity. Med Sci Monit. 2006;12:RA57–65. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]31. Dash VB. New Delhi: Concept Publications; 1986. Alchemy and Metallic Medicines in Ayurveda; pp. 1–5. 48-92. [Google Scholar]32. Nishteswar K, Vidyanath R. Varanasi, India: Chaukhabha surbharati Prakashan; 2005. Ayurvediya Rasashastra; p. 84. [Google Scholar]3)Ayurveda is only basis (like cough or cold) and not complex = Ayurveda is first to do surgurySushruta has described surgery under eight heads: Chedya (excision), Lekhya (scarification), Vedhya (puncturing), Esya (exploration), Ahrya (extraction), Vsraya (evacuation), and Sivya (suturing).All the basic principles of surgery such as planning precision, hemostasis, and perfection find important places in Sushruta's writings on the subject. He has described various reconstructive procedures for different types of defects.His works are compiled as Sushrutaa Samhita. He describes 60 types of upkarma for treatment of wound, 120 surgical instruments and 300 surgical procedures, and classification of human surgeries in eight http://categories.To Sushruta, health was not only a state of physical well-being but also mental, brought about and preserved by the maintenance of balanced humors, good nutrition, proper elimination of wastes, and a pleasant contented state of body and mind.For successful surgery, Sushruta induced anesthesia using intoxicants such as wine and henbane (Cannabis indica).He treated numerous cases of Nasa Sandhan (rhinoplasty), Oshtha Sandhan (lobuloplasty), Karna Sandhan (otoplasty). Even today, rhinoplasty described by Shushruta in 600 BC is referred to as the Indian flap and he is known as the originator of plastic surgery.He described six varieties of accidental injuries encompassing all parts of the body. They are described below:Chinna - Complete severance of a part or whole of a limbBhinna - Deep injury to some hollow region by a long piercing objectViddha Prana - Puncturing a structure without a hollowKshata - Uneven injuries with signs of both Chinna and Bhinna, i.e., lacerationPichchita - Crushed injury due to a fall or blowGhrsta - Superficial abrasion of the skin.Besides trauma involving general surgery, Sushruta gives an in-depth account and a description of the treatment of 12 varieties of fracture and six types of dislocation. This continues to spellbind orthopedic surgeons even today. He mentions the principles of traction, manipulation, apposition, stabilization, and postoperative physiotherapy.He also prescribed measures to induce growth of lost hair and removal of unwanted hair. He implored surgeons to achieve perfect healing which is characterized by the absence of any elevation, induration, swelling mass, and the return of normal coloring.Plastic surgery and dental surgery were practiced in India even in ancient times. Students were properly trained on models. New students were expected to study for at least 6 years before starting their training. Before beginning the training, the students were required to take a solemn oath. He taught his surgical skills to his students on various experimental models. Incision on vegetables such as watermelon and cucumber, probing on worm-eaten woods, preceding present-day workshop by more than 2000 years are some instances of his experimental teachings. He was one of the first people in human history to suggest that a student of surgery should learn about human body and its organ by dissecting a dead body.