In Gujarat, a pharmacy had sold 'Kalmeghasav-Asava Arishta' syrup to over fifty people in around three villages of Kheda district for Rs 130 per bottle. Of these, nearly five people have died, and two were hospitalized.It is important to note that Asavas and Arishtas, the primary components of Kalmeghasav-Asava Arishta, are fermented alcoholic preparations commonly employed in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various complex ailments (1).
In the current incident, the syrup preparations were allegedly contaminated with poisonous methyl alcohol.
The five men who lost their lives after consuming the contaminated herbal syrup laced with methyl alcohol were identified as Mitesh Chauhan, Alpesh Sodha, from Bagadu village, Natu Sodha, Arjun Sodha, and Ashok Sodha from Bilodara village. Mitesh Chauhan consumed the syrup on November 27 and lost his life on November 28. While his brother-in-law, Alpesh, passed away on November 29, the police were informed of the other three incidents of similar cases in nearby hospitals.
The patients who consumed the laced syrup showed the common symptoms of uneasiness and vomiting. Following the deaths of the fourth and fifth individuals (Arjun and Ashok Sodha) on the same evening, the issue gained media coverage. The police of the Kheda district then began an investigation and identified another patient with similar presentations and a history of consumption of the herbal syrup. The patient died before the police could conduct further inquests. Following this death, the police persuaded the family members to agree to file a case and conduct a postmortem to identify the cause of death. This was the key case, as the others who had passed away from this incident were already cremated. The postmortem on Natu Sodha’s body revealed the presence of 0.12% methyl alcohol. Family members confirmed that he had consumed the syrup.
SP of Kheda district Rajesh Gadhiya said in his interview with the press that Baldev Sodha, another resident of Bilodara, and Kishan's father Sankalbhai also ingested this syrup. They are presently receiving treatment. The blood test results of Sankalbhai indicated that methyl alcohol was added to the syrup. According to the SP, the precise period of the addition needs to be investigated. Kishan Sodha, Yogesh Sindhi, and another male have been taken into custody by the police. According to the official, Kishan stated that he had bought the syrup from Sindhi.
Dr. Abby, a hepatologist and physician who protests against misinformation on his official Twitter handle, @theliverdr commented,
“How many more people should die before we call it a day and take this junk off our shelves?"
He further questioned, What is a life worth? And whether it was worth more than just the inclination towards traditional medicine and baseless cultural practices.
Ayurvedic herbal supplements are untested, unregulated, and a risk in a bottle, the doctor continued in his tweet. It contains heavy metals, toxic plants, and methanol, all of which are deadly. and we can choose to avoid it, the doctor added.
When BAMS doctor Dr. Shelja Chauhan was asked about these incidents of contaminated medicine, she replied, “The contamination of herbal syrup and being sold in the grocery shop is itself an alarming issue. The AYUSH Ministry should investigate this matter. Strict laws governing the manufacturing and sale of herbal drugs in the country should be enforced. Unfortunately, cases of adulterated medicines are very common in India, and incidents like children's deaths in Gambia due to cough syrup from India highlight the severity."
References:
1. Das C, Das D. An overview on therapeutic potential of traditional fermented biomedicines: Asava and arista. Res J Pharm Technol. 2019 Oct 1;12(10):5067–75.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Bharkhavy K V)
