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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REVIEW ARTICLE PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATIONS ISSN 2249-1031

116 | P a g e Volume 3, Issue 3, May ₋ June 2013 http://www.ijpi.org

Recent Trends in the Usage of Herbo-Mineral Formulations in

Healthcare System

Joshi Nirali. B. *1, and Shankar M. B. 2

1. Shri Jagdish Prasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University, Vidyanagari, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. 2. Shivam Pharmaceutical studies and research centre, Valasan, Anand – 388 326

ABSTRACT:

Ayurveda has earth-shat ter ing in audience o f wor ldwide on virtue o f its

ho list ic approach o f life and it s fewer side effects. Ayurvedic herbal and

herbo-mineral preparat ions are used for the t reatment of chronic and

degenerat ive diseases without any side -effect . Herbo-mineral formulat ion

uses herbs, minerals or metals as bhasmas for chronic disorders and proved

it s effect iveness. The present work is an attempt to emphasis on the benefit s

and problems associated with it .

Key words: Ayurveda, Bhasma, Heavy metals, Herbo-mineral, Rasayana

Tantra, Sindoora

INTRODUCTION:

Ayurveda is a ho list ic eternal

healing science that existed in the

universal consciousness. It is a

science that deals not only with

t reatment of some diseases but is a

complete way o f life (1 )

. Ayurveda

was first perceived by Brahma who

then taught it to Daksha-Prajapat i

fo llowed by Aswani-kumars.

Knowledge o f Ayurveda ind icates

the appropr iate and inappropr iate,

happy or sorrowful condit ion o f

living, what is ausp icious or

inauspicious for prolonged

existence as well as measure o f life (2 )

.

Formulat ions o f Ayurveda are

herbal, mineral, metal and animal

origin, which are processed

pharmaceut ically for the ir

therapeut ic effects. In today‟s

scenar io 80% of wor ld‟s populat ion

depends on herbal drugs. According

to WHO, Ayurvedic medicines

come under t radit ional medicines

and refers to health pract ices,

approaches knowledge and belie fs

incorporat ing plant , animal and

mineral based medic ines, spir itual

therapies, manual techniques and

*Corresponding Author

Joshi Nirali. B.



exercises (Yoga and Pranayam),

applied singular ly (Herb) or in

combinat ion (Po lyherb) to t reat,

diagnose and prevent illnesses or

maintain well-beings (3 )

.

Despite o f t remendous advancement

in Allopathic system o f medic ines,

there are many areas in which

allopathic medicines have failed to

prove its effect iveness. Main

drawback o f allopathic system is its

side effects, high cost of drugs, and

lack o f curat ive t reatment for

chronic diseases and reoccurrence

of d isease after stoppage of

medicat ion. People are lo sing the ir

fait h towards allopat hic medicines

and go ing towards the use o f

t radit ional medic ines such as

Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha and

Naturopathy. As per the WHO,

about three-quarters o f the wor ld‟s

populat ion current ly use herbs and

other forms o f t radit ional

medicines to t reat their diseases.

Herbal products are natural and

people believe it as a safe medic ine (4 )

.

In recent past there are occurrences

of some doubt on safety and

efficacy o f herba l formulat ions as

it is marked as a dietary

supplement and they are regulated

under the Dietar y Supplement

Health and Educat ion Act

(DSHEA), which does not require

proof o f safety and efficacy. Herbal

products can be as toxic as or even

more toxic than prescr ipt ion

medicines. Due to wrong

int erpretat ion and quest ion o f

safety and efficacy o f the product ,

people are afraid o f using herbal

medicines. Therefore, it is

necessary to access the qualit y o f

drugs based on the act ive

ingredient and safety and efficacy

of the product as per the WHO

guidelines for formulat ion and raw

mater ial. Standardizat ion o f herbal

drugs includes authent icat ion o f its

ident it y and determinat ion of its

qualit y and pur ity. Standardizat ion

of herbal formulat ion is vital and

need broader considerat ions as they

are developed at t ime o f limited

access to techno logically var iable

norms of standardizat ion (5 )

.

Herbal industry due to its ho list ic

approach towards life and fewer

side effects made great pace in

India, with the co -operat ion

between drug regulatory

author it ies, scient ists and

industr ies. Correct recognit ion o f

raw mater ial is necessary for

avo iding adult erat ion and to make

it commercially available.

Problems Associated w ith

Ayurvedic Formulation

Ayurveda is one o f the wor ld‟s

oldest t radit ional medic inal systems

and is exper iencing revitalizat ion

among the consumers t hroughout the

word. However the major drawback

associated with Ayurveda is the lack

of evidence based on its standard

profile and qualit y and safety

aspects o f Ayurvedic formulat ions.

There is a lack o f data support ing



the efficacy o f clinical t r ials in

t radit ional medicines. Other major

problem associated with Ayurvedic

formulat ion is t he loss o f genet ic

biodiversit y or r isk o f annih ilat ion (6 )

.

Heavy metal (HM) toxicity is a

major safety issue in Ayurvedic

formulat ions and it is essent ial to

evaluate them for their content .

Table-1 provides data o f Ayurvedic

formulat ions containing heavy

metals (Lead, Mercury, and/or

Arsenic) (7 )

. Ayurvedic lit erature

emphasizes t he use o f heavy metals

in t heir formulat ion due to their

part icular bio logica l propert ies for

cur ing. Ayurveda has descr ibed

spec ific phys iochemical processes

like sublimat ion, heat ing etc to

detoxify the metals and to avo id its

toxicity Heavy metals in Ayurvedic

medicines inc lude not only lead and

mercury but other metals such as

chromium, iron, zinc, nickel,

cadmium, arsenic and tungsten.

Amount of heavy metals and t race

elements in Ayurvedic preparat ion

depends on the geographical

locat ion, varying according to the

qualit y o f t he so il, water or air

pollut ion (8 )

.

The American medical research

community has sounded a heavy

metal warning against Ayurvedic

cures. Herbal products from the

Indian system o f medicine so ld in

the US contain dangerous levels o f

lead, mercury & arsenic (9 )

.

Environmental impact of heavy

metals (1 0 , 1 1 )

such as Cd, Pb, Hg

and as it causes ser ious concern on

the health o f individuals. In Japan,

Itai- it ai disease (1 2 )

and Minamata

disease (1 3 )

are caused due to the

consumpt ion o f r ice containing Cd

and eat ing methyl mercury

contaminated fish respect ively.

Table-2 gives informat ion about

most important disaster occurred

with heavy metals (1 4 )

.

Current levels o f toxic metals in

some environmental compartments

may be high enough to const itute a

threat to human health. Table-3

provides data of global emission o f

t race metals into atmosphere, water

and so il. Environmental exposure

to low levels o f lead has been

allied with a wide range of

metabo lic disorders and

neuropsycho logical defic iencies.

Toxicity o f lead at metabo lic and

cellular level in asymptomat ic

children include

Impairments in hemoglobin,

vit amin D and red blood cell

nucleot ide metabo lism,

Trepidat ions o f calcium

homeostasis in the

hepatocytes, bone cells and

brain cells,

Neuro logical damage

Dangerous leve l o f cadmium in

environment leads to intoxicat ion

of the kidney like tubular

proteinur ia ad renal dysfunct ion.

High amount of arsenic in

environment contaminates dr inking

water and causes sk in cancer,



per ipheral vascular disorders

(known as b lack foot disease),

hyper-pigmentat ion and keratosis (1 5 )

. Table-4 provides data of most

commonly used metals, it s toxic

effect on human and their t reatment (1 6 )

.

Medicina l plants grows in nature

can accumulate heavy metals at

certain extent which depends on its

individual propert ies and the

concentrat ion o f HM in so il, a ir

and water (1 7 )

. Heavy metal

contaminat ion is due to accidental

contaminat ion dur ing

manufactur ing process such as

gr inding, use of lead releasing

equipments or other manufactur ing

utensils (1 8 )

. Due to its hazardous

effect , heavy metal content in

plants and foodstuff must be

limit ed and GMPs procedures

should be implemented dur ing

manufactur ing o f Ayurvedic

formulat ion (1 9 )

.

Environment factors can be

controlled by implement ing

standard operat ing procedures

(SOP) lead ing to Good Agricultural

Pract ice (GAP), Good Laboratory

Pract ice (GLP), Good Supply

Pract ice (GSP) and Good

Manufactur ing Pract ice (GMP) for

producing medicina l products from

herbal or natural sources. The

public belief that herbal and natural

products are safer t han synthet ic

medicines can only be ascertained

by imposing regulatory standards

on herbal products that should be

manufactured using Good Pract ices (2 0 )

. .

Benefits of Herbo-Mineral

Formulations

Herbo mineral formulat ion uses the

metals and minerals for chronic

disorders in different combinat ions,

dosage forms and at var ious levels

of pur it ies. Hence it is very

essent ial to prepare it in a proper

way. As per the reported data, there

are so many herbo -mineral

formulat ions available in market

which is useful in anemia, diabetes,

cancer, liver diseases, skin diseases

etc. Table-5 shows the list o f

herbo-mineral formulat ion and its

uses in common diseases as per

WHO guidelines – Tradit ional

medicines in Asia (2 1 )

.

Prakash et al (2 2 )

reported Prak-20

( judic ious combinat ion o f nineteen

herbs and Mandoor Bhasma) that is

a potent hepato -protect ive herbo-

mineral formulat ion used in

t reatment of liver ailment s in CCl 4

induced toxicity in rats. Prak -20

t reated animals had minimum

necrot ic changes after seven day

t reatment and further studies are

required to understand its

mechanism o f act ion.

Chronic urt icar ia (Refractory skin

diseases) o ften creates a

therapeut ic cha llenge. Herbal

t reatment is gaining popular it y in

the t reatment of chronic urt icar ia.

Azad Hussain et al (2 3 )

has reported

that Unani herbo-mineral

formulat ion is effect ive and safe



for the t reatment of chronic

urt icar ia. It has produced

significant effect on itching,

wheals, and erythema without

caus ing any untoward effect or

adverse react ions.

Scabies (Skin diseases) is very

common skin disease found in

urban populat ion of Gadap town

area or Karachi, Pakistan. Sultan

Ayaz et al (2 4 )

has exp lained the

safety and efficacy o f herba l coded

medicine, ScaNeem (Herbal coded

medicine), for the t reatment of

scabies. The test drug was found to

be an economical, safe and

effect ive in t reatment of scabies.

Infert ilit y is a very common

medical problem associated with

male person. Rajeev Kumar et at (2 5 )

has reported the use o f herbo -

mineral supplement – Addyzoa®

(Charak Pharmaceut icals, Mumbai

India contains Withania somnifera

and Emblica o ffic inalis as its

pr incipal const ituent) in men with

idiopathic

oligoasthenoteratospermia ( iOATs).

The study conc luded that t reatment

with Addyzoa is effect ive in

improving the semen qualit y by

increasing the sperm count and

sperm mot ilit y in men with iOATs

after 3 months of t herapy. There

was no change in the sperm

concentrat ions, ROS, DFI or TAD

levels.

Ajit vaze (2 6 )

has descr ibed the use

of Addyzoa herbo-mineral

formulat ion in o ligospermia in

compar ison with Ubiquinone

(Coenzyme Q 10). A double-blind,

randomized controlled t r ial was

conducted and study concluded that

t reatment with Addyzoa is effect ive

in improving semen qualit y by

increasing the sperm count and

sperm mot ilit y. The result s are

comparable with that of

Ubiquinone on semen parameters.

Lauha bhasma is the most widely

used herbo-mineral formulat ion

used in iron defic iency anemia.

Verma P. R. P. and Prasad (2 7 )

have

reported the use o f lauha bahsma in

anemia. It is bet ter absorbed in GIT

and devo id o f the usual side effects

associated with administ rat ion o f

the allopathic iron preparat ion.

Pattonder R. K. et al (2 8 )

has

reported the standardizat ion and

qualit y contro l of herbo -mineral

drug Agnimantha Bhavita

Shila jatu- ABS (contains

Agnimantha and Shila jatu) and

Tr ivr it Yukta Navaka Guggulu-

TYNG (contains Shunthi, Mar icha,

Pippali, Har itaki, Vibhitaki,

Amalaki, Chit r ak, Nagarmotha,

Vayavidanga, Suddha Gugguluand

Tr ivr ita). Both ABS and TYNG

were prepared using authent ic raw

mater ials and subjected for

phys icochemical analysis which

provides object ive parameters to

fix up the standards for qualit y

control of finished drugs.

Pawar R. K. and et al (2 9 )

has

reported the physic -chemical

standardizat ion and development of

HPTLC method for the

determinat ion o f Plumbagin in



Kalmegh Navayasa Loha. The

proposed HPLC method is simple,

rapid, accurate, reproducible,

select ive and economic and can be

used for rout ine qualit y control

analys is o f Kalmegh Navayasa loha

powder.

Herbo-mineral formulat ion showed

remarkable improvement in qualit y

of life o f var ious cancer pat ients

who have been found to be

refractory or poor responders to

modern chemotherapy and radiat ion

t reatment . Jayawardhane N. D. N.

et al (3 0 )

has stated herbo-mineral

t reatment as an adjuvant in the

t reatment of Hepatocellular

carcinoma (HCC) pat ient . Herbo -

mineral formulat ions (Hemabhraka,

Tamra Sindoora, Vanda Bhasma,

Manikya pist i etc) are safe, cheap

and effect ive in management of

HCC and have developed a new

clinical applicat ion in t reatment of

Cancer.

Saba Sheikh et al (3 1 )

has reported a

novel herbo-mineral formulat ion

Las 01 (which contains a number of

herbs and different t ypes of

inorganic minerals like mercury),

to be effect ive as a potent

ant icancer drug in the human cell

lines, the MCF-7 and Hela cancer

cell lines. It is devo id o f toxicity

both in animals as well as human

which is the main drawback of

chemotherapeut ic agents used in

modern system o f medic ine.

Badar i Nath and Madhusudhana

Chet ty (3 2 )

have studied the effect

of a herbo-mineral tablet

(containing green tea aqueous

extract and Sodium selenite) for

chemoprevent ion of lung cancer in

tobacco severe adductors. The

prepared tablets meet the

Pharacopoeial requirements and are

more comfortable in use.

Hypertension (High blood pressure)

is a wor ld‟s leading contr ibutory

case o f death. It has est imated to

have caused 7.6 million premature

deaths and cont r ibuted to 92

million disabilit y adjusted life

years wor ldwide in 2001. Ruchika

Nanda et al (3 3 )

has found the use of

herbo-mineral medic ine

Rakatchaphar (contains Sarpganha,

Shankhpushpi, Jatamansi, Jahar

Mohra khatai Pisht i, Moti Pisht i

and Ras s indoor) in essent ial

hypertension. It has o ffered an

efficacious and safe combinat ion o f

natural product available for

t reatment of hypertension.

Non- insulin diabetes mellit us is

one o f t he major diseases speared

worldwide and over 85% of

diabetes mellitus is associated with

high incidence o f mortalit y and

morbidity. Maji D. and Singh A. K. (3 4 )

has reported a D-400

herbominera l preparat ion (contains

Eugenia jambulana, Pterocarpus

marsupium, Ficus glo merulata,

Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica

charant ia, Ocimum sanctum and

Shila jeet) is effect ive in t reatment

of Diabetes mellitus. They have

studied the effect of D-400 on

blood sugar level, serum

cho lesterol, t riglycer ides, LDL,



HDL, blood urea, serum creat inine

levels and the effect of long-term

diabet ic complicat ions. D-400 is

shown to have beneficia l effects as

regards the long-term complicat ion

and can serve as an important

adjuvant in the t reatment of

diabetes.

The ancient Indian (Asian)

Ayurvedic medicinal system uses

herbominera l drugs to t reat

arthr it is. Arvind Chopra et al (3 5 )

has tested RA-11 (ARTREX,

MENDAR), a standardized

mult ip lant Ayurvedic drug

(Withania somnifera, Boswellia

serrata, Zingiber o fficina le, and

Curcuma longa) in t reatment of

arthr it is. It has been reported that

RA-11 is effect ive in the

symptomat ic t reatment of

osteoarthr it is knees.

Rasayana Tantra

The word „Rasayana is composed of

two words „rasa‟ and „ayana. Rasa

means dhatus responsible for

sustenance o f life. Ayana means

spec ific measures uses for

obtaining rasa and responsible for

longevity. Rasayana is a well

developed concept in Ayurveda.

Rasayana means the augmentat ion

of rasa, the vital fluid produced by

the digest ion o f flood, which

sustains the body through the

st rengthening o f t he dhatus (3 6 )

.

The term „rasa‟ is der ived from the

root „rasa‟ which means „to go‟.

Therefore, the dhatus which always

moves is called rasa. Rasayana is

the medium through which the rasa

is maint ained, replenished and

augmented.

In modern term, t he study and

pract ice of rasayana is referred as

„rasavidya‟ (alchemy). Rasa

ausadhis are known as metallic

preparat ion which includes bhasma

and s indoora. Metals like go ld,

silver, copper, lead, t in and iron,

sand, lime and minerals like red

arsenic, germs, salt s and red chalk

are indicated as drugs in Ayurveda.

There are more than 200 plants

ment ioned in Rasashastra which

uses mineral and metals as

medicina l plant or a desirable

chemical property (3 6 )

.

Bhasma

Bhasma is an ash obtained by

calcinat ions of metals. It is a

unique preparat ion o f Ayurveda

with extracts of herbs and metals in

combinat ion which funct ions best

when converted from their or iginal

metals to metal oxide forms (3 7 )

. I t

is prepared by ca lcinat ions o f

metals in a c losed crucible in pits

and with cow dung cakes (puta).

Bhasmas are bio logically produced

nano-part ic les and are taken along

with milk, but ter, honey or ghee

which makes these elements easily

assailable, eliminat ing their toxic

effects and enhancing the ir

biocompat ibilit y (3 8 )

.

Preparation of Bhasma (3 9 )

:

It is prepared from pur ified

minerals, metals, mar ine and

animal products. The process o f



pur ificat ion is called Sodhana. It is

aimed to remove harmfu l impur it ies

present in t he drug or somet imes

modificat ion o f undesirable

phys ical propert ies o f the drugs. It

helps in enhancement o f the

therapeut ic act ion and thereby

increases the potency o f drug.

Sodhana is o f two – Samanya

sodhana applicable to a large

number of metals or minerals and

Visesa sodhana applicable to

certain drugs and in certain

preparat ion.

After Sodhana, second stage is the

Marana which means metals and

minerals are made into paste with

var ious drugs and juices. It is

essent ially t he burning process or

calcinat ion. It is subjected to fire

t reatment in a measured manner for

reducing them to ashes. The

object ive o f do ing Marana Process

is to reduce the size o f the drug to

it s finest part icles so that it absorbs

easily into the system and produce

their desired effects without

producing harmful side effects.

Types of Bhasmas (4 0 )

:

Bhasmas are classified based on

their co lor and appearance.

Scient ifically they are classified

based on their dominant metal and

mineral groups, such as Rajata

bhasma (silver), Tamra bhasma

(copper), Loha bhasma ( iron),

Pravala bhasma (Shells) etc.

Bhasmas are genera lly yellowish,

black, dark, white, gray, redd ish

black and red, depending upon the

predominant drug as well as the

other drugs used in t he process o f

marara. They are stored in air t ight

container (glass or earthen) and

maintain the ir potency indefinitely.

Quality Control of Bhasma (4 1 )

:

1. Nischandr ika – No chandr ika

or metallic luster

2. Rekhapur ita – When taken

between the index finger and

thumb, it should be so fine as

to get easily into the finger

lines.

3. Varitara – Small quant it y is

spread on co ld and st ill

water, it should float on the

surface.

4. Apurnabhava – I t should not

revert to the original state.

SINDOORA (37)

:

It is more potent preparat ion then

bhasma and prepared by the

elaborate process o f sublimat ion.

The preparat ion o f sindoora process

is called kupipakwa vidhi in which

sublimed mineral obtained on the

neck o f t he sublimat ion g lass flask

is called sindoora. Character ist ics

and preparat ion o f sindoora is

similar to Bhasma.

CONCLUSION

Cont inuous uses o f convent ional

medicines for var ious diseases may

produces adverse act ions and are an

object of medical at tent ion and thus

the cause o f concern. Hence

alternat ive medic ines have become

the need of t he hour. Herbo -mineral

preparat ions are safe in t herapeut ic



doses and absorbs easily in the

body. Bhasmas and Sindoora, the

unique Ayurvedic preparat ion for

cur ing diseases, can easily enter

into the blood st ream and be come

more biocompat ible as compare to

convent ional medic ines. They have

developed a new era in nano -

medicine system due to its nano

part icles size and ho list ic approach

towards disease.

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Table – 1: Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine Products Containing Lead, Mercury, and/or Arsenic

Ayurvedic formulations Manufacturer Dosage form Metal Concentration (µg/g)

Lead Mercury Arsenic

Bal Chamcha Jalaram Powder 10 ND ND

Bal Guti Zandu Tablet 5 ND ND

Bala Sogathi Navjeevan Powder 43 28 ND

Balguti Kesaria Kesari Ayurvedic

Pharmacy

Tablet 7 17600 37

Maha Sudarshan Churna Dabur Powder 17 ND ND

Maha Sudarshan Churna Zandu Tablet 40 ND ND

Mahalakshmi Vilas Ras with

Gold

Baidyanath Tablet 300 72100 2800

Navaratna Rasa Unja Ayurvedic

Pharmacy

Tablet 600 10400 60

Shilajit Syncom Capsule 8 ND ND

Abbreviations: ND = not detected (Heavy metal assay reporting levels lead > 5 µg/g, mercury >

20 µg/g, and arsenic > 10 µg/g.

Table- 2: The most important disasters with heavy metals

Year Disasters Remarks

1932 Minamata Sewage containing mercury is released by Chisso's chemicals works into

Minimata Bay in Japan. The mercury accumulates in sea creatures, leading

eventually to mercury poisoning in the population.

1952 Minamata

Syndrome

In 1952, the first incidents of mercury poisoning appear in the population of

Minimata Bay in Japan, caused by consumption of fish polluted with

mercury, bringing over 500 fatalities. Since then, Japan has had the strictest

environmental laws in the industrialised world.

1986 Sandoz Water used to extinguish a major fire carries c. 30 t fungicide containing

mercury into the Upper Rhine. Fish are killed over a stretch of 100 km. The

shock drives many FEA projects forwards. See also "Pollution of the Rhine at

Basel / Sandoz".

1998 Spanish

nature

reserve

contaminat

ed after

environme

ntal

disaster

Toxic chemicals in water from a burst dam belonging to a mine contaminate

the Coto de Donana nature reserve in southern Spain. C. 5 million m_ of mud

containing sulphur, lead, copper, zinc and cadmium flow down the Rio

Guadimar. Experts estimate that Europe's largest bird sanctuary, as well as

Spain's agriculture and fisheries, will suffer permanent damage from the

pollution.



Table-3 Global Emissions of Trace Metals into the Atmosphere, Water and Soil (in 1 000 metric

tonnesyr-1

)

Element Air Water Soil

Arsenic 18.8 41 82

Cadmium 7.6 9.4 22

Chromium 30 142 896

Copper 35 112 954

Mercury 3.6 4.6 8.3

Indium 0.02 - -

Manganese 38 262 1670

Molybdenum 3.3 11 88

Nickel 56 113 325

Lead 332 138 796

Antimony 3.5 18 26

Selenium 3.8 41 41

Tin 6.4 - -

Thallium 5.1 - -

Vanadium 86 12 132

Zink 132 226 1372

Table-4: Typical Presentation of the Most Commonly Encountered Metals and Their

Treatment

Metal Acute Chronic Toxic Concentration Treatment

Arsenic Nausea, vomiting,

"rice-water" diarrhea,

MODS, LoQTS,

painful neuropathy

Diabetes,

hypopigmentation/

hyperkeratosis, cancer:

lung, bladder, skin,

24-h urine:

≥50 µg/L urine, or

100 µg/g creatinine

BAL (acute,

symptomatic)

Succimer

DMPS (Europe)

Lead Nausea, vomiting,

encephalopathy

(headache, seizures,

ataxia, obtundation)

Encephalopathy,

anemia, abdominal pain,

nephropathy, foot-drop/

wrist-drop

Pediatric: symptoms

or [Pb] ≥45 µ/dL

Adult: symptoms or

[Pb] ≥70 µ/dL

BAL

CaNa2 EDTA

Succimer

Mercury Elemental (inhaled):

fever, vomiting,

diarrhea, ALI;

Inorganic salts , caustic

gastroenteritis

Nausea, metallic taste,

gingivo-stomatitis,

tremor, neurasthenia,

nephrotic syndrome;

hypersensitivity

Background exposure

"normal" limits:

10 µg/L (whole

blood); 20 µg/L (24-h

urine)

BAL

Succimer

DMPS (Europe)

Nickel Dermatitis; nickel

carbonyl: myocarditis,

ALI, encephalopathy

Occupational (inhaled):

pulmonary fibrosis,

reduced sperm count,

nasopharyngeal tumors

Excessive exposure:

≥8 µg/L (blood)

Severe poisoning:

≥500 µg/L (8-h urine)

*

*No accepted chelation regimen; contact a medical toxicologist regarding treatment plan.

MODS - multi-organ dysfunction syndrome; LoQTS - long QT syndrome; ALI - acute lung injury; DMPS

- 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane-sulfonic acid; CaNa2 EDTA - edetate calcium disodium.



Table – 5: List of Herbo-mineral formulations used in various common disorders.

S. N. Herbo-mineral formulations Common disease

1. Godanti Bhasma Cold, Cough, Fever

2. Shankh Bhasma Acidity, Ulcer

3. Yashad Bhasma Myopia, Diabetes

4. Trushanadi loha Anemia

5. Loha bhasma Anemia

6. Navayasa loha Anemia

7. Arogyavardhini vatti Hepatitis, Diabetes, Skin diseases, obesity

8. Tribhuvan kirti Rasa Fever

9. Shvass kuthar Rasa Asthma

10. Swarna makherdhwaj Rasayan Diabetes, fertility

11. Sutshekhar Rasa Acidity

12. Hirdyarnava Rasa Heart diseases

13. Laxmivias Rasa Respiratory track disorders, common cold

14. Chandra prabha vatti Diabetes, Urinary track disorders

15. Saptamrata lauha Eye disorders

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