Researchers at Nagpur’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) have tweaked a commonly used chemical substance, zeolite-A, such that it is capable of trapping and removing arsenic from groundwater. Similarly, it can also remove chromium, a toxic heavy metal. In its original form, zeolite-A is a negatively charged material and hence it cannot remove negatively charged arsenic and chromium compounds, as particles of the same charge repel each other. However, the NEERI scientists overcame this problem by treating it with a “surfactant”. In lab experiments, the researchers could reduce the initial concentration of arsenic from 1.15 milligramme per litre to 0.203 mg/, indicating it is a “promising candidate”. The research has been published in the February 25 issue of Current Science.

Wonder plant

Researchers in Pune have found yet another reason for calling ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) a wonder drug. Their studies, reported in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of Biosciences, showed that certain substances present in ashwagandha, a herb widely used in Ayurveda, can help reduce cartilage damage in osteoarthritic patients. While the herb’s anti-cancer, anti-stress and rejuvenating properties are well-known, it for the first time that scientists have evaluated the herb for its effectiveness in osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease caused by the wearing and breaking down of the cartilage layer that helps ends of bones in a joint to glide over one another smoothly.