You have heard of allopathy and ayurveda, but "allovedic"? That is the word the Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI) uses for "pseudo-herbal" products that seek to cash in on the rising trend of public disillusionment with allopathy and increasing popularity of "herbal" as "safer" alternative. Be wary, however, of labels that make "herbal" claims, warns CGSI.

Allopathic drugs are equated with synthetic chemicals, and the herbal drugs with natural products -mainly extracts of herbs used in indigenous medicine systems in many countries. Herbal toiletries command almost one third of the market today, but whether these products are truly "green" or not is a moot point.

One "ayurvedic" cure for asthma contains steroids, tests reveal. Another, touted as a "magic herbal cure" for arthritis-for which there is no known cure in allopathy, only pain suppressants as vouched for by pioneering heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard who was incapacitated by the condition-was turned into a profitable business by a chain of "Tabe Clinics" in several cities till consumer activists took them to court for taking gullible patients for a ride.

Packaged mehendi, sold as a "herbal" alternative to hair dyes, could contain chemicals, especially if the mehendi claims to dye the hair black. Likewise, "herbal" slimming cures that promise miraculous results, have often been discovered to contain toxic chemical appetite suppressants. A "herbal" shampoo might contain a synthetic foaming agent, and a "herbal" fairness cream could have chemical skin bleaches. Herbal extracts are also laced with pesticide residues.

Doctors warn that if a patient is taking non-allopathic medication, this should be mentioned while seeking allopathic treatment. At least two cases are known where failure to inform the doctor resulted in severe setbacks to the patient-one was fatal.

-Sakuntala Narasimhan

Sting Operation

The Scorpio has set a scorching pace at a time when the auto industry has been sluggish with few companies clocking good sales. Mahindra & Mahindra's SUV (sports utility vehicle)-they prefer calling it a car-has got a good start selling 1,475 cars since its July launch. The Scorpio, if successful, could do what the Indica has done for Telco-facilitate a truck manufacturer's entry into the passenger-car segment after repeated failures. SUVs are inching ahead in India's car market in which it has only 12 per cent share, in contrast to 40 per cent in the rest of Asia and 50 per cent in the US. But then the Scorpio's price tag of Rs 5.4-6.35 lakh-at least Rs 65,000 cheaper than a similar model of Toyota Qualis-might have a lot to do with its popularity.

-Vivek Law