What level of lead is in ITM products?
A. The lead level of ITM products will vary somewhat from batch to batch, since the herb materials come from a wide geographic area; the herbal ingredients are different from product to product, since different plants take up lead at different rates. Factors affecting lead uptake by plants include not only their species and the amount of lead in the soil, but the acidity of the soil which is affected by numerous factors. Lead becomes more concentrated in roots and barks (that have a richer content of lead-binding substances) than in the leaves and flowers of most plants and Chinese herbalists rely especially on root and bark portions of plants. Chinese “herbs” may also include some animal source materials and some natural minerals; animals accumulate lead from the plants they eat, which enters the bones, shells, and other calcium structures, some of which are used by Chinese herbalists; natural minerals can also include lead in their total composition. Over many years, ITM has performe
