Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Chemistry: The Key to our Sustainable Future pp 321–337Cite as

Metal Levels in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicines

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Abstract

The calcium, magnesium, nickel and zinc contents in seven Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) and four Ayurvedic Medicines (AM) purchased locally were determined using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy following five different digestion methods: four open wet hot plate with various mixtures of acids and/or H2O2, and microwave oven (MWO) with conc HNO3 and H2O2. Sodium and potassium levels were analysed using flame photometry after MWO digestion. Potassium had the highest mean level among the six metals analysed. MWO was found to be more effective for Mg, method M1 [conc HNO3 + H2O2 (30 %)] for Ca and Zn, and method M4 (aqua regia) for nickel. From replicate measurements, the inter-day precision of the flame photometric measurements for sodium and potassium was found to be 3.0–9.0 % and 1.3–9.0 % respectively. Comparison of results obtained from standard calibration curves and standard addition indicated that the percentage difference of sodium content in the TCM Niuhuangchiehdu Pien and the potassium content in AM, Diabecon was 3.9 % and 0.22 % respectively, indicating that the matrix did not have much influence on the metal content.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. World Health Organization (2000) General guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine. World Health Organization, Geneva, pp 1–73

    Google Scholar 

  2. Saper RB, Kales SN, Paquin J, Burns MJ, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Phillips RS (2004) Heavy metal content of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products. J Am Med Assoc 292:2868–2873

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wang X, Zhuang Z, Sun D, Hong J, Wu X, Lee F, Yang MS, Leung HW (1999) Trace metals in traditional Chinese medicine: a preliminary study using ICP-MS for metal determination and As speciation. Atom Spectrosc 20:86–91

    Google Scholar 

  4. Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (2004) Lead poisoning associated with use of Ayurvedic medications – five states, 2000–2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 53:582–584

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ernst E (2002) Heavy metals in traditional Indian remedies. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 57:891–896

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, Khouri N, Davis RB, Paquin J, Thuppil V, Kales SN (2008) Lead, mercury and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the internet. J Am Med Assoc 300:915–923

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yang L-L, Gao L-R, Zhang D-Q (2003) Speciation analysis of arsenic in traditional Chinese medicines by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Anal Sci 19:897–902

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Chan K (2003) Some aspects of toxic contaminants in herbal medicines. Chemosphere 52:1361–1371

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Koh H-L, Woo S-O (2000) Chinese proprietary medicine in Singapore: regulatory control of toxic heavy metals and undeclared drugs. Drug Saf 23:351–362

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wu X-H, Sun D-H, Zhuang Z-X, Wang X-R, Gong H-F, Hong J-X, Lee FSC (2002) Analysis and leaching characteristics of mercury and arsenic in Chinese medicinal materials. Anal Chim Acta 453:311–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wang C-F, Duo M-J, Chang EE, Yang JY (1996) Essential and toxic trace elements in the Chinese medicine. J Radioanal Nucl Ch Ar 211:333–347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Giacomino A, Abollino O, Malandrino M, Karthik M, Murugesan V (2010) Determination and assessment of the contents of essential and potentially toxic elements in Ayurvedic medicine formulations by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Microchem J 99:2–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Dargan PI, Gawarammana IB, Archer JRH, House IM, Shaw D, Wood DM (2008) Heavy metal poisoning from Ayurvedic traditional medicines: an emerging problem? Int J Environ Health 2:463–474

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Espinoza EO, Mann MJ, Bleasdell B (1995) Arsenic and mercury in traditional Chinese herbal balls. New Engl J Med 333:803–804

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kales SN, Christophi CA, Saper RB (2005) Hematopoietic toxicity from lead-containing Ayurvedic medications. Med Sci Monit 13:CR295–CR298

    Google Scholar 

  16. Au AM, Ko R, Boo FO, Hsu R, Perez G, Yang Z (2000) Screening methods for drugs and heavy metals in Chinese patent medicines. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 65:112–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Al-Omari S (2011) Determination of essential and toxic trace elements in ten herbal medicines using energy-dispersive XRF analysis. X-Ray Spectrom 40:31–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lam JC, Chan K-K, Yip Y-C, Tong W-F, Sin DW (2010) Accurate determination of lead in Chinese herbs using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS). Food Chem 121:552–560

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sa F, Vong WT, Chan TM, Lam CWK (2010) Determination of heavy metals in proprietary Chinese medicines by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Clin Chim Acta 411:896 (Abstract)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Yuan X, Ling KH, Keung CW (2009) The analysis of heavy metals in Chinese herbal medicine by flow injection–mercury hydride system and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Phytochem Anal 20:293–297

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Cooper K, Noller B, Connell D, Yu D, Sadler R, Olszowy H, Golding G, Tinggi U, Moore MR, Myers S (2007) Public health risks from heavy metals and metalloids present in traditional Chinese medicines. J Toxicol Env Health 70:1694–1699

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Gunturu KS, Nagarajan P, McPhedran P, Goodman TR, Hodsdon ME, Strout MP (2011) Ayurvedic herbal medicine and lead poisoning. J Hematol Oncol 4:51–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Lavekar GS, Ravishankar B, Gaidhani S, Shukla VJ, Ashok BK, Padhi MM (2010) Mahayograj guggulu: heavy metal estimation and safety studies. Int J Ayurveda Res 1:150–158

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Gair R (2008) Heavy metal poisoning from Ayurvedic medicines. BC Med J 50:105

    Google Scholar 

  25. Dobos GJ, Tan L, Cohen MH, McIntyre M, Bauer R, Li X, Bensoussan A (2005) Are national quality standards for traditional Chinese herbal medicine sufficient? Current governmental regulations for traditional Chinese herbal medicine in certain Western countries and China as the Eastern origin country. Complement Ther Med 13:183–190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Mazzanti G, Battinelli L, Daniele C, Costantini S, Ciaralli L, Evandri MG (2008) Purity control of some Chinese crude herbal drugs marketed in Italy. Food Chem Toxicol 46:3043–3047

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Koch I, Moriarty M, House K, Jie S, Cullen WR, Saper RB, Reimer KJ (2011) Bioaccessibility of lead and arsenic in traditional Indian medicines. Sci Total Environ 409:4545–4552

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Lokhande R, Singare P, Andhale M (2010) Study on mineral content of some Ayurvedic Indian medicinal plants by instrumental neutron activation analysis and AAS techniques. Health Sci J 4:157–168

    Google Scholar 

  29. Lokhande R, Singare P, Andhele M, Acharya R (2010) Study of some Indian medicinal plants by application of INAA and AAS techniques. Nat Sci 2:26–32

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Avula B, Wang Y-H, Smillie TJ, Duzgoren-Aydin NS, Khan IA (2010) Quantitative determination of multiple elements in botanicals and dietary supplements using ICP-MS. J Agric Food Chem 58:8887–8894

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Fei T, Dehong L, Fengqun Z, Junhua L, Hua T, Xiangzhong K (2010) Determination of trace elements in Chinese medicinal plants by instrumental neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 284:507–511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Mahawatte P, Dissanayaka KR, Hewamanna R (2006) Elemental concentrations of some Ayurvedic drugs using energy dispersive XRF. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 270:657–660

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Choudhury RP, Kumar A, Reddy AVR, Garg AN (2007) Thermal neutron activation analysis of essential and trace elements and organic constituents in Trikatu: an Ayurvedic formulation. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 274:411–419

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Singare P, Lokhande R, Andhale M, Acharya R (2010) Availability of essential trace elements in Ayurvedic Indian medicinal herbs using instrumental neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy. World J Sci Technol Sustain Dev 7:175–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Yan Q, Yang L, Wang Q, Ma X (2012) Determination of major and trace elements in six herbal drugs for relieving heat and toxicity by ICP-AES with microwave digestion. J Saudi Chem Soc 16:287–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Krebs J, Michalak M (2007) Calcium: a matter of life or death. Elsevier BV, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  37. Office of Dietary Supplements (2009) Dietary supplement fact sheet: Magnesium. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium/. Accessed 5 Mar 2012

  38. Haas E, Levin B (2006) Staying healthy with nutrition. The complete guide to diet and nutritional medicine. Celestial Arts, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  39. Office of Dietary Supplements (2011) Dietary supplement fact sheet: Zinc. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/. Accessed 7 Mar 2012

  40. Elson MH (2011) Role of potassium in maintaining health. http://org/patients/potassium-health. Accessed 13 Dec 2011

  41. Gittleman AL (2000) Understanding salt and sodium. http://curezone.com/foods/salt/understanding_salt_and_sodium.html. Accessed 26 Oct 2010

  42. Asian Health Secrets (2010) Shilajit: Nature’s Rejuvenator. http://www.asianhealthsecrets.com/letha/?p=2386. Accessed 13 Mar 2012

  43. Word Press (2010) Medicinal plants, herbs, spices: Guggul. Available from: http://herbtime.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/guggul-commiphora-mukul-or-balsamodendron-mukul/. Accessed 15 Mar 2012

  44. Xu L, Wang W (2002) Jin Qian Cao. In: Chinese materia medica: combinations and applications. Donica, St Albans, p 240

    Google Scholar 

  45. Wieckowski SK, Mezyk Z (1999) Studies of trace element content in selected medical herbs. Pol J Environ Stud 8:129–130

    Google Scholar 

  46. Akhtar N, Khan SA, Khan L, Hussain I, Marwat KB (2008) Profile of heavy metals in selected medicinal plants. Pak J Weed Sci Res 14:101–110

    Google Scholar 

  47. Guo L (2012) The producing area of Chinese medicine and famous region drug research – Magnolia officinalis. In: Kuang H (ed) Recent advances in theories and practice of Chinese medicine. InTech, Shanghai, pp 453–460. www.intechopen.com/download/pdf/pdfs_id/26178. Accessed 13 Jan 2012

  48. Himalaya Herbal Health Care (2002) Himalaya’s herbs and minerals: Yashad bhasma. http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/aboutayurveda/cahy.htm. Accessed 15 Mar 2012

  49. Shao YY, Cai BS, Lin J, Xu JS (2007) Determination of trace elements in 13 traditional Chinese medicines in medicated diet for diabetes mellitus by ICP-MS. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 32:2011–2015 [Abstract]

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. European Medicines Agency (2009) Guidelines for the validation of analytical methods used in residue depletion studies. http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Scientific_guideline/2010/01/WC500040499.pdf. Accessed 13 Jan 2012

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the University of Mauritius for providing the necessary facilities to carry out the project. Thanks also to the technical staff of the Chemistry Department, in particular to Mr. V Ramsahye for assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius

    Henri Li Kam Wah, Kanisha Ramchurn & Safeenaz B. Alladin

Authors
  1. Henri Li Kam Wah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kanisha Ramchurn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Safeenaz B. Alladin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henri Li Kam Wah .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Mauritius Dept of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Reduit, Mauritius

    Minu Gupta Bhowon

  2. University of Mauritius Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Reduit, Mauritius

    Sabina Jhaumeer-Laulloo

  3. University of Mauritius Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Reduit, Mauritius

    Henri Li Kam Wah

  4. University of Mauritius Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Reduit, Mauritius

    Ponnadurai Ramasami

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this paper

Cite this paper

Wah, H.L.K., Ramchurn, K., Alladin, S.B. (2014). Metal Levels in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicines. In: Gupta Bhowon, M., Jhaumeer-Laulloo, S., Li Kam Wah, H., Ramasami, P. (eds) Chemistry: The Key to our Sustainable Future. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7389-9_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation