Heavy metals are minerals that are both naturally occurring and created as a byproduct of pollution from industrialization. Some of them, like iron, are necessary for human health in small doses but are more concerning in high doses. We understand that balance is essential when it comes to heavy metals. However, due to pollution and industrialization, increasing levels of heavy metals can make their way into our bodies, accumulate, and take more time to detoxify. Constant exposure to high levels of toxic heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can begin to cause trouble. Fortunately, the human body can flush these toxins from our system in time. Additionally, the use of cleansing herbs accompanied with diet and lifestyle changes can do a lot to ensure these heavy metals don’t get the best of you. Currently, awareness is growing around the amounts of heavy metals that can be found in concentrated herbal supplements, and we’re here to help demystify what’s going on.
Both the FDA and the herbal supplement world spend plenty of time and resources to inspect and test ingredients to ensure safe products. Rigorous testing is necessary because heavy metals naturally bioaccumulate in plants. So how did they get there? The answer is in the water, soil, and wind. To our luck, scientists have excellent methods to test these factors for their heavy metal burdens whether it’s shortly after harvest or during extraction and concentration.
Our Heavy Metal Testing Procedure
At ruved, we use a multi-step testing method that utilizes both internal and external research groups for each batch of products we make. Before we even begin planting, we test the soils where we grow our herbs in the pristine mountain region of Himachal Pradesh in India. This location is selected because it is the native habitat of a majority of the herbs we use and because it is a region relatively free of industrial pollutants. Our herbs are planted by our partner farmers and carefully tended over the course of their growth.
When the plant reaches peak potency, it gets harvested and goes straight to purity testing. From there, the plant is sent off for extraction. The extracts then undergo third-party testing for purity and standardized potency. Once the herbal extracts pass these tests, they are exported our way where they receive another round of testing. After passing, they are made into their final form. They are tested by a third party one last time before being packaged up and sent to our warehouse until they find a home with you!
All of this testing ensures that heavy metals, pesticides (which we use organic farming practices, but it’s still important to check!), and microbial growths are well below the legally established limits. This is how we ensure you are getting the purest and highest quality herbal support on the market.
Tips to Support Your Body’s Detoxification
So, what else can you do to mitigate your heavy metal exposure and support your body’s ability to detoxify? Luckily, there’s a lot.
- Limit your fish consumption to small and wild-caught fish. The acronym SMASH can be useful: sardines, mackerel, anchovies, wild salmon, and herring. Tuna, sadly, is one of the highest containing fish for the heavy metal Mercury.
- Embrace Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussel sprouts, and collard greens are all great at supporting detoxification. Just remember to buy organic if you can and if not, wash your vegetables before use.
- Flavonoid Fun: colorful fruits, especially dark ones like blueberries and blackberries, are loaded with flavonoids that are high in antioxidants. One of the issues with heavy metals is they cause oxidative damage just like overexposure to the sun does.
- Sweat it out: Sweating is one of our body’s premier ways that it detoxifies itself. Making sure to exercise to the point of working up a sweat not only helps your heart stay healthy, but it also helps detoxify the body. Sauna’s work too!
- Check out the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org): This group has done groundbreaking work to help people know their options and how to manage so many brands and choices in the marketplace. If you’ve ever heard of the “dirty dozen” which are foods associated with high pesticide residues, it comes from them!
Heavy metals are part of nature and our body does know how to handle them; however, the reality in today’s society and through poor environmental stewardship, they are now accumulating in our food and water supply. However, being aware of where and how these heavy metals are entering our bodies can help mitigate their accumulation. Additionally, herbal products are concentrates of plants and need to be honestly and earnestly tested to ensure they are grown and processed with the least amount of heavy metals possible. At ruved, we take this matter seriously because we take your health seriously. Working openly and transparently with you ensures you’ll always have a partner in natural support and vibrant healthy living.
