Adulteration and Undeclared Drugs in Ayurvedic Products
Some Ayurvedic products have been found to contain prescription drugs, toxic plants or different plants than the label says. What regulators and studies found, and how to protect yourself.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Urgent first
If you feel unwell after taking any herbal or Ayurvedic product, stop it and seek medical care, and bring the product with you. In the US you can also call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. See poisoning: what to do first. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without talking to your doctor. [1]Three different problems
People use "adulterated" loosely, so it helps to separate three things. All three have been reported for Ayurvedic products, and none applies to every product.- Undeclared drugs: a pharmaceutical added to a herbal product without being listed on the label.
- Toxic ingredients or metals: poisons or metals present as contaminants or ingredients. See lead, mercury and arsenic in Ayurvedic products.
- Substitution: the plants in the product are not the plants on the label.
Evidence labels: evidence of harm (regulator findings in specific products), insufficient evidence (how common it is across the market).
What studies found
- A 2002 review of Asian herbal medicines concluded that some contain toxic heavy metals or undeclared prescription drugs, with Indian and Chinese preparations implicated, but that most of the data was anecdotal and insufficient to define prevalence. [5]
- A 2020 review of liver injury from Ayurvedic herbs lists adulteration with other prescription medicines and contamination from poor manufacturing practices among the reasons these products can harm the liver. [6]
- A 2019 European study using DNA testing of 79 Ayurvedic products bought online and in pharmacies found that the ingredient match to the label was 67% for single-ingredient products and 21% for multi-ingredient products (24% overall), with many species present that were not on the label. [7] That study measured whether plants matched labels; it did not look for drugs or metals.
How far these findings apply to any particular product on sale today is unknown. We did not find a recent market-wide survey of undeclared drugs in Ayurvedic products.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Do Ayurvedic products contain hidden prescription drugs?
Some have. Health Canada found prescription drugs in three of the products it seized from one clinic. [2] How often this happens across the market has not been measured in the sources we read. [5]
Is substitution of plants the same as adulteration with drugs?
No. A 2019 European study found many Ayurvedic products did not contain the plants on the label, which is a quality problem; it did not test for drugs. [7]
Can an undeclared drug interact with my medicines?
Yes, that is the concern Health Canada raises about prescription drugs taken without a clinician's supervision. [2]
How do I know a product is authorized where I live?
Use your national register: the AUST R or AUST L number in Australia [12], or the traditional herbal registration mark in the UK. [1] We did not read a register for every country.
What should I do if I think a product was adulterated?
Stop using it, keep the packaging, tell your clinician and report it. [10]
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
What regulators found
| Jurisdiction | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Health Canada advisory on one Toronto clinic, updated 1 February 2022 | Three seized products contained prescription drugs: one diclofenac and dexamethasone, one progesterone and norgestrel, one cetirizine [2] |
| United States | FDA consumer warning, current as of 2 December 2025 | One product tested after an adverse event report contained high lead and mercury plus arsenic and the plant toxins strychnine and brucine [3] |
| Australia (Victoria) | Department of Health advisory, 17 January 2025 | Some Ayurvedic medicines sold in grocery stores contained ingredients, including lead, that are scheduled poisons [4] |
Health Canada notes that prescription drugs should only be taken under the advice of a health care professional because of the risk of interactions with other medications and side effects. [2] That is the practical risk of an undeclared drug: neither you nor your prescriber knows it is there.
Why the regulatory picture matters
Health Canada says unauthorized health products have not been assessed for safety, effectiveness and quality. [11] Victoria's health department says products with an AUST R or AUST L number can be legally supplied in Australia. [12] In the UK, the NHS advises people not to buy unlicensed herbal medicines online because they may not be safe, and to look for a traditional herbal registration mark. [1]
How to lower your risk
- Prefer products that a regulator in your country lists or authorizes, and check the register yourself rather than relying on a label statement.
- Be cautious with products promising fast relief for pain, asthma, sexual function or weight loss, which are the kinds of claim worth a second look. This is our general caution, not a finding of the sources above.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist the exact product name; an unexplained reaction or lab result may have a product explanation. See talking with a health professional.
- Report suspected problems; see reporting a problem with an Ayurvedic product.
References
- NHS, Herbal medicines and complementary therapies (checking safety). Read 2026-10-22.
- Health Canada, public advisory (prescription drugs found). Read 2026-10-22.
- FDA, heavy metal poisoning warning (product testing). Read 2026-10-22.
- Victorian Department of Health, advisory 170125 (scheduled poisons). Read 2026-10-22.
- Ernst, Toxic heavy metals and undeclared drugs in Asian herbal medicines, Trends Pharmacol Sci 2002. Read 2026-10-22.
- Philips et al., Comprehensive review of hepatotoxicity associated with traditional Indian Ayurvedic herbs, World J Hepatol 2020. Read 2026-10-22.
- Seethapathy et al., DNA Metabarcoding Authentication of Ayurvedic Herbal Products on the European Market Raises Concerns of Quality and Fidelity, Front Plant Sci 2019. Read 2026-10-22.
- FDA, FDA India Office Addresses Herbal and Ayurvedic Products (6 August 2024). Read 2026-10-22.
- FDA, FDA warns about heavy metal poisoning associated with certain unapproved ayurvedic drug products (content current as of 12/02/2025). Read 2026-10-22.
- FDA, heavy metal poisoning warning (advice and actions). Read 2026-10-22.
- Health Canada, public advisory on products sold by a Toronto Ayurvedic clinic (updated 1 February 2022). Read 2026-10-22.
- Victorian Department of Health, advisory 170125 (AUST R and AUST L numbers). Read 2026-10-22.