A samskara is a process in ayurvedic medicine said to detoxify heavy metals and toxic herbs.
In ayurveda, toxic ingredients, which sometimes include heavy metals such as mercury,[1] are claimed to be purified using a process of prayer and pharmacy.
[4] A 2004 study found such toxic metals in 20% of ayurvedic preparations that were made in South Asia for sale around Boston and extrapolated the data to the United States more broadly.
[5] A 2008 study of more than 230 products found that approximately 20% of remedies (and 40% of rasa shastra medicines) purchased over the Internet from both US and Indian suppliers contained lead, mercury or arsenic.
, the Government of India ruled that ayurvedic products must specify their metallic content directly on the labels of the product;[10] however, M. S. Valiathan noted that "the absence of post-market surveillance and the paucity of test laboratory facilities [in India] make the quality control of Ayurvedic medicines exceedingly difficult at this time.