Ayurveda used animal parts..............
Classical Ayurveda texts like Charaka Samhita andAstanga Hridayam Samhitacontain numerous formulations with animal and bird parts.
Animal parts are used in Ayurvedic drugs
NEW DELHI: Irrespective of whether Swami Ramdev's pharmacy used animal bones in its medicinal preparations, experts say the use of animal products is a longstanding practice in Ayurveda. In fact, the law allows it.
Classical Ayurveda texts like Charaka Samhita andAstanga Hridayam Samhitacontain numerous formulations with animal and bird parts.
Says Delhi-based Ayurved L K Tripathi, "These ancient texts refer to two kinds of medicinal formulations, one where herbs and plants are used, and the other which make use of animal parts as ingredients, even those that are now considered exotic, like deer flesh or pigeon blood."
But the use of such ingredients is regulated by law. Says Dr S K Sharma, advisor at ministry of health's department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), "The list of all animal products that our department permits for use in Ayurvedic preparations is contained in Schedule I of the Drug and Cosmetics Act."
He said there were no endangered species on the list. "And, there's no question of human bones being permi tted. Among the things in the list are eggshells or ox bile.
Even 'exotic' ingredients like testicles of a cat species, used in a preparation called jungbadaster, are imported from places like Afghanistan."
As for labelling of ingredients used in these traditional medicines, its a grey area AYUSH is currently working to standardise.
Says Sharma, "The department issued orders in October 2005, asking all manufacturers making medicines under Indian systems to clearly mention on the product all ingredients used in the preparation."
He said manufacturers got back saying many preparations have up to 40 different ingredients and it wasn't physically possible to mention all of these on small bottles.
The department has now decided that these ingredients would need to be given as inserts in the bottles.
However, in keeping with Ayurveda's global image as a 'herbal' therapeutic system, there is a general shift from preparations that use animal parts or products.
Says Dr Durga Prasad, senior manager (marketing), Dabur, "The only so-called animal product our company uses is honey.
Till three years back, we used stag horns in a medicine called mrigsinghbasma. But after government banned use of wildlife products in medicines, we withdrew our product."
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