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Title: | The heavy metal contents of some selected medicinal plants sampled from different geographical locations |
Authors: | Annan, Kofi Dickson, Rita A Amponsah, Isaac K Nooni, Isaac K. |
Keywords: | : Geographical locations heavy metals medicinal plants minerals |
Issue Date: | Apr-2013 |
Publisher: | Pharmacognosy Research |
Citation: | Pharmacognosy Research | April-June 2013 | Vol 5 | Issue 2 |
Abstract: | Background: The levels of 5 minerals namely; lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum
were assessed in 10 medicinal plants sampled from 5 different geographical locations to
determine the effect of location on the plants’ mineral content. Materials and Methods: Atomic
absorption spectrophotometry (wet digestion) was used for the analyzes, and content of the
minerals per sample was expressed as g/g. The levels of minerals were compared to their
limit specification for herbs and daily total intake of these minerals. A two‑way analysis of
variance, which tends to look at the effect of the location and the medicinal plant itself on the
plants mineral content, was used in the statistical analysis. Results: Lead (Pb) was present in
all plant species examined, except Ocimum gratissimum. One plant exceeded the maximum
safety limit for lead. Cadmium was also detected in some of the medicinal plant species (44%)
whilst majority were below the detection limit (0.002) representing 56%. 40% of the plant
species exceeded the limit for cadmium. Mercury and arsenic in all the plant species were
below the detection limit (0.001). Significant variation existed in mineral content for the various
locations (P ≤0.05). Conclusion: The findings generally suggest the variation in mineral levels
for the various locations. Thus, our study has shown that same species of medicinal plants,
growing in different environments, accumulates different levels of heavy metals. |
Description: | Quick Response Code:
Pharmacognosy Research | April-June 2013 | Vol 5 | Issue 2
Also available online at www.phcogres.com
DOI: 10.4103/0974-8490.110539 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/7115 |
Appears in Collections: | Publications
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