Lets take a look at the halal
status of the medicinal drugs we use.
Various excipients (pharmacologically inactive substance formulated with
the active ingredient of a medication)
are used in medicinal drug production. They range as colorings, flavorings, preservatives,
lubricants, binders and so on. Processed
food items sold in the market are made to display the ingredients by the law
where as the medicinal drugs only reveal their active ingredients. The
excipients aren’t displayed in most cases. The problem lies in the situation if
the drug includes the ingredients such as chochineal colouring and gelatin.
Chochineal
Red
Sometimes it is known as E120, Carmine acid, Carmines or Natural
Red 4. This colouring is widely used in pharmaceuticals, dairy products like
ice cream & yoghurt, baked goods, candies and fruit juices. Cochineal
is extracted from dried and crushed bodies of the female cochineal (Coccus
cacti) insects. When we have an insect in our ice cream or cup of coffee we
remove it or get a new cup of coffee. But when the insect is crushed and mixed
with our food and drugs we are helpless.
Gelatin
Soft and hard gelatin is used to encapsulate the active
ingredients in capsules. Gelatine could have animal or vegetable origin. If it
is the animal gelatin then the halal has to be ascertained.
Above two
ingredients can be found in vitamin supplements, syrups and many other capsules used
for various treatments. For example if a pregnant mother takes such tablets she
may get into an allergic condition due to the insect extract. Not only that but
she is feeding the unborn baby with non halal. Sometimes carmine (E120) can cause severe allergic reactions. Some
manufacturers have actually stopped using carmine due to lawsuits in some
countries and the vigilance of the consumers. In Sri Lanka we don’t have a drug
policy to look into drug related problems or
to control the misuse of drugs.
To promote safe and healthy diets the consumer should know what’s
going through his throat.
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