Heavy metal content of commonly consumed herbal bitters in Ilorin, Nigeria
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacy
Abstract
Background: The use of herbal medicines has increased in recent years and has gained much attention in the
health sectors, scientific community and the public alike. The safety and quality of these products become
questionable even when the efficacy and potency may be guaranteed.
Objective: The presence of heavy metals was determined.
Methods: Two batches of five herbal bitters were purchased from different parts of Ilorin. Samples were
prepared from these batches and analyzed for the presence of Cadmium (Cd), Iron (Fe) and Lead (Pb) using
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Their concentrations were compared with WHO permissible limits.
The variations in the concentration of Cd, Fe, and Pb in the two batches of samples were also determined at P
< 0.05.
Results: The value of Cd ranged from 0.003-0.3mg/L, Pb 0.000-0.067mg/L and Fe 0.083-0.27mg/L. This study
revealed that majority of the samples contained Cd and Pb in concentrations significantly lower than the
permissible limits. However, the two batches of herbal bitters contained Fe with concentrations significantly
higher than the official permissible limit of 0.1mg/L.
Conclusion: The results obtained from this study showed that Iron was present in all the samples with some
concentrations significantly higher than the WHO permissible limit. Lead and cadmium were present in some
of the samples with concentrations below the WHO permissible limit.
Description
Keywords
Herbal bitters, Lead, Cadmium, Iron, Atomic absorption Spectrophotometer