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Bitter truth of Dakshitha & Rajapaksa’s ‘bitter gourd’ cancer meds
The Opposition is planning to raise a question in Parliament about two institutions that have obtained licenses from the Department of Ayurveda for the production of a medicine and a dietary supplement claiming to be for cancer by showing the same research results, Sri Lanka Mirror learns.
They are a capsule by the name ‘α-Elostera’ marketed by Ceylon Green Ayurveda Company as a solution for cancer and made from bitter gourd seeds and a food supplement released to the market as ‘LivingMo 600’ by Prime Health Herbal Products.
However, both the medicine and the food supplement have been made by using the research conducted by a team including Prof. Jayantha Rajapaksa and Professor Anura Jayasuriya of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Peradeniya University where they have purportedly discovered anticancer activity of bitter gourd seeds.
When Professor Jayantha Rajapaksa is producing the capsule as a food supplement, one Dakshitha Thilanga Sumathipala, a businessman who has no relation to the research, has obtained a license to manufacture the capsule as a medicine.
Experts in the Ayurvedic field said that giving approval by the Ayurveda Formulary Committee for both these endeavors is ludicrous.
Meanwhile, Ceylon Green Ayurveda has blatantly violated several terms set by the Department of Ayurveda when manufacturing the capsule.
The sign board of the ‘Ceylon Green Cancer Wellness Center’ operated by the company located near the Apeksha Hospital to sell this capsule, has not mentioned that it is an Ayurvedic medicine shop.
Accordingly, they have deliberately misled the patients.
An Ayurvedic dispensary must have personnel registered with the Ayurvedic Department and only they can prescribe medicine.
However, the clip below shows how those who contact the company’s phone number can get medicines prescribed by one of its salespersons.
Dakshitha’s Ceylon Green Ayurveda has published advertisements to promote the capsule on the internet without the permission of the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the Ayurveda Formulary Committee has given permission for the capsule and the food supplement when there has been no mention in traditional books on indigenous medicine that bitter gourd has anticancer qualities.
If Professor Rajapaksa intends to use the research results for a product with commercial purposes, he must obtain the permission from the University of Peradeniya which facilitated the research.
Doing so would enable the university to receive an economic advantage but it was revealed during our investigation that there has been no such advantage.
Although Professor Rajapaksa said that the capsule was subjected to a clinical trial post-production, the Ministry of Health and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) told us that they do not have any evidence of such a clinical trial.
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11th International Day of Yoga celebrated in Colombo (Pics)
The 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the High Commission of India in Colombo and its cultural arm, the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Sri Lanka at the historic Independence Square in Colombo today (June 21).
This year’s theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”, highlighted the universal relevance of yoga in fostering harmony between humans and nature.
The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Santosh Jha, joined the celebrations along with distinguished guests including Minister of Science and Technology – Dr. Chrishantha Abeysena, Minister of Labour and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development – Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka – Dr. Rizvie Salih, Deputy Minister of Defence – Major General K. P. Aruna Jayasekara, Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs – Gamagedara Dissanayake Deputy Minister of Sports – Sugath Thilakaratna, and other senior dignitaries.
The event began with a spiritual invocation through prayers by Most Ven. Dr. Maitipe Wimalasara Nayaka Thera and the Maha Sangha, who offered blessings for peace and well-being. A dynamic and refreshing yoga and meditation session followed, conducted by experts from renowned yoga institutions in India and Sri Lanka. The event brought together hundreds of yoga enthusiasts, dignitaries, and students in a shared spirit of wellness and unity. As part of the celebrations, a specially curated Yoga Pendrive and a Sinhala translation of the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika were launched, aiming to make authentic yoga knowledge more accessible. Complementing the main event in Colombo, the Consulates in Hambantota and Jaffna, along with the Assistant High Commission in Kandy, also organized special events – reflecting the enthusiastic and widespread participation in the 11th International Day of Yoga across Sri Lanka.
In a significant prelude to the main event, the Department of Ayurveda, Ministry of Health, Government of Sri Lanka and Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre jointly organized a landmark, island-wide celebration of the International Day of Yoga on 19 June 2025, with simultaneous yoga sessions held in 113 Ayurveda hospitals and four universities across all nine provinces – marking the first time such a nationwide initiative has been undertaken in Sri Lanka in a unified fashion.
It may be recalled that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution piloted by India in 2014, proclaiming June 21 each year as the International Day of Yoga. The resolution was supported by more than 170 countries, with Sri Lanka being one of its proud co-sponsors.
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11th International Day of Yoga celebrated in Colombo (Pics)
