Hazard of Contamination with Heavy Metals in Thymus serpyllum L. Herbs from Rural Areas

Figas, Anna; Tomaszewska-Sowa, Magdalena; Kobierski, Mirosław; Sawilska, Anna Katarzyna; Klimkowska, Katarzyna

doi:10.3390/agriculture11040375

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…In this study, the levels of Cu, Mn, and Zn are higher than the reported WHO maximum permissible limits established for medicinal plants, just as previous studies have reported such high levels of essential metals in medicinal plants [71,72]. The population's health risk within the study was assessed based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) model, where a noncarcinogenic risk assessment of ingesting medicinal plants for children and adults in the study was established based on HQ and HI values.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 45%

Heavy metal content of selected readily available commercial medicinal plants in Jos Plateau and their potential human health risk

Simon Gabriel Mafulul,

Enoch Banbilbwa Joel,

John Gushit

2024

GSC Biol. Pharm. Sci.

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This study determined the level of heavy metal contamination in selected medicinal plants sold in Jos Metropolis and assesses the health risks associated with their consumption. Five commonly used medicinal plants (Annona senegalensis, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Vernonia amygdalina, and Vitex donniana) were analyzed for the presence of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) respectively using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The result showed that the concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Mn, and Zn in all the plants and Pb levels in two plants, V. amygdalina and V. donniana were significantly higher than the WHO recommended limits, indicating a potential health hazard. The calculated values of the hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and cancer risk (CR) for the heavy metals exceed the acceptable levels for both adults and children, suggesting a high vulnerability to heavy metal toxicity and carcinogenicity with the highest and lowest HI values obtained by V. amygdalina (47.3) for children and P. guajava (9.63) for adults. The CR associated with Ni and As for adults and children indicated high carcinogenic risk. In contrast, the CR values for Cd and Pb for adults and children indicated a moderate CR. Based on the results and risk assessment provided by this study, the consumption of medicinal plants suggests a high vulnerability to heavy metal toxicity. It can be concluded that the consumption of medicinal plants poses a serious threat to human health due to heavy metal contamination and calls for implementing preventive measures and risk communication among users of these products to safeguard the health of the residents.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 45%

Heavy metal content of selected readily available commercial medicinal plants in Jos Plateau and their potential human health risk

Simon Gabriel Mafulul,

Enoch Banbilbwa Joel,

John Gushit

2024

GSC Biol. Pharm. Sci.

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“…The ability to accumulate very high Zn amounts (up to 50 mg kg -1 ) was found for other species from the Thymus genus, e.g. T. serpyllum (Figas et al 2021 ). Ti concentration was within the toxicity thresholds for plants also in this species (Kabata-Pendias 2001 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Metals in Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum, Festuca vivipara and Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus in the geothermal areas of Iceland

Rajsz

Samecka-Cymerman

Wąsowicz

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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This investigation was conducted to identify the content of metals in Calluna vulgaris (family Ericaceae), Empetrum nigrum (family Ericaceae), Festuca vivipara (family Poaceae) and Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus (family Lamiaceae), as well as in the soils where they were growing in eight geothermal heathlands in Iceland. Investigation into the vegetation of geothermal areas is crucial and may contribute to their proper protection in the future and bring more understanding under what conditions the plants respond to an ecologically more extreme situation. Plants from geothermally active sites were enriched with metals as compared to the same species from non-geothermal control sites (at an average from about 150 m from geothermal activity). The enriched metals consisted of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe and Ni in C. vulgaris; Cd, Mn and Ti in E. nigrum; Hg and Pb in F. vivipara; and Cd, Fe and Hg in T. praecox. Notably, C. vulgaris, E. nigrum, F. vivipara and T. praecox had remarkably high concentrations of Ti at levels typical of toxicity thresholds. Cd and Pb (except for C. vulgaris and F. vivipara) were not accumulated in the shoots of geothermal plants. C. vulgaris from geothermal and control sites was characterised by the highest bioaccumulation factor (BF) of Ti and Mn; E. nigrum and F. vivipara by the highest BF of Ti and Cr; and T. praecox by the highest BF of Ti and Zn compared to the other elements. In comparison with the other examined species, F. vivipara from geothermal sites had the highest concentration of Ti in above-ground parts at any concentration of plant-available Ti in soil.

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“… Mineral and elemental composition in references: *Shahar et al ( 69 ) mg/100 g, **Abu-Darwish ( 70 ) ppm, ***Figas et al ( 71 ), ****Vasil'eva et al ( 72 ) mg/kg; Elements: K-potassium, Ca-calcium, Mg-magnesium, P-phosphorus, S-sulphur, Al-aluminium, Na-sodium, Cl-chlorine, Si-silicon, Fe-iron, Zn-zinc, Mn-manganese, Cu-copper, Ni-nickel, Co-cobalt, Cr-chromium, Pb-lead, Ba-barium, Sr-strontium. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.): a review of the current evidence of nutritional and preventive health benefits*

Jalil,

Pischel,

Feistel

et al. 2024

Front. Nutr.

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Thymus serpyllum L. (Lamiaceae), known in English as ‘wild thyme’, is primarily found in the Palearctic realm (Eurasia, North Africa) and has been utilized traditionally for culinary, nutritional, medicinal, and aromatic purposes. The essential oil extracted from wild thyme is particularly noteworthy, being used extensively in the food industry as a flavoring agent and preservative. The plant’s aerial parts are commonly employed as an element of the diet (e.g., tea)/for culinary uses and in local/traditional medicine (primarily for managing respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions), similar to the use of common thyme. There is practically no information available on the species’ nutritional benefits. Pharmacological studies, including in vitro and in vivo research, alongside a limited number of clinical trials, have investigated extracts of Thymus serpyllum, although these extracts are often phytochemically poorly characterized in different experimental protocols and models. These studies have demonstrated a range of therapeutic effects, such as antimicrobial (notably the essential oil) and anti-inflammatory, as well as its preventative health benefits and nutritional value of wild thyme. Preclinical studies have corroborated the plant’s anti-inflammatory potential, particularly in conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and irritable bowel syndromes (IBS). Additionally, evidence of hepatoprotective activities and benefits in managing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular health issues, such as lipid metabolism regulation, cholesterol reduction, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory effects, have been observed predominantly in rodent models. Phytochemical analysis of wild thyme reveals an essential oil fraction below 1%, along with non-volatile compounds predominantly comprising phenolic acids (such as rosmarinic, salvianolic, and caffeic acids) and flavonoids (mainly glucosides of luteolin, apigenin, and their derivatives). These components are believed to contribute significantly to the plant’s medicinal, nutritional, and preventive health properties. Despite promising findings, there is a need for more rigorously designed controlled clinical trials using phytochemically characterized wild thyme. The plant has an excellent safety and tolerability record. This review at the interface of nutritional/preventive health properties and as pharmacological activities highlights the current role of wild thyme in nutrition and general healthcare as well as its future potential, and also points to important gaps in the literature.

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Hazard of Contamination with Heavy Metals in Thymus serpyllum L. Herbs from Rural Areas

Cited by 11 publications

References 50 publications

Heavy metal content of selected readily available commercial medicinal plants in Jos Plateau and their potential human health risk

Heavy metal content of selected readily available commercial medicinal plants in Jos Plateau and their potential human health risk

Metals in Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum, Festuca vivipara and Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus in the geothermal areas of Iceland

Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.): a review of the current evidence of nutritional and preventive health benefits*

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