Mineral element profiles of Vernonia ambigua, Vernonia oocephala and Vernonia pupurea used in Northern Nigerian traditional medicine

Abstract

Background: Vernonia species are widely consumed as vegetables or medicinal herbs for the treatment of various human diseases in Nigeria. Nevertheless, there exists a growing concern for consumption safety of those herbal plants, due to increasing environmental pollution. This is because plants can accumulate some heavy metals that constitute a potential risk to human health. Nonetheless, also essential elements may be accumulated in plants, which provide nutrients for combating diseases and maintaining human health. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to analyze some heavy metals and mineral elements on Vernonia ambigua, V. oocephala and V. pupurea commonly used in Northern Nigerian traditional medicine. Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used to determine the major elements (calcium and magnesium), trace elements (iron and manganese) and heavy metals (copper, cobalt, chromium, cadmium, lead and zinc). Results: We found a high Ca and Fe content in V. ambigua, Mg and Co in V. oocephala, and Cu and Cr in V. pupurea; in contrast, the last specie, showed low accumulation of Pb and Cd among all studied species. Conclusion: This study revealed that toxic elements concentrations are lower than the allowed dietary intake (ADI) in all the three Vernonia species. The quantitative estimation of these elements is important to understanding the pharmacological and/or toxicological actions of medicinal plants for safe use.

Comparative analysis of some selected minerals in <em>Costus afer </em>leaf and stem in Abakaliki, Nigeria

“…Nickel serves as a co-factor of important antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase though it is in a small amount in both the leaf and stem as 0.26mg/kg and 0.24mg/kg respectively (Singh and kumar, 2021) [14] . Lead concentration 0.11mg/kg and 0.61mg/kg in leaf and stem respectively, may not lead to any health deterioration or hazard in the body of consumers since it is lower than the permissible limit of 30mg/kg lead for vegetable as peported ~ 59 ~ by Aliyu et al, (2015) [2] . The result obtained in this research is a conformity to the result reported by Anyasor et al, (2014) [3] while the result of manganese and Nickel is higher than the one reported by Anyasor et al, (2014) [3] .…”

“…The mineral analysis revealed that the level of calcium, magnesium, sodium, manganese in C. afer leaf and stem where appreciably high compared to other but the stem had higher amount of phosphorus, potassium magnesium manganese compared to the leaf. These minerals are essential to the body system for disease control and prevention (Aliyu et al, 2015) [2] . The presence of these minerals may account for the ethnomedical use of C.afer in treatment and management of inflammatory disease.…”

“…The presence of these minerals may account for the ethnomedical use of C.afer in treatment and management of inflammatory disease. Potassium and calcium are important for the growth and maintenance of strong bones, muscular function, and synthesis of enzymes and normal physiological function of the body (Aliyu et al, 2015) [2] . The mineral contain of potassium in the leaf and stem of C.afer was (6.91 ± 0.01mg/g and 16.45±0.04 mg/g) respectively.…”

Pharmacognostic studies and thin layer chromatography profile of the aerial parts of Vernonia cinerealess. (Asteraceae)

“…It is worth mentioning that limit is not set by FOA/WHO for some of the mineral elements detected in the plant of study. Important elements such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and manganese were known to be present in Vernonia species as seen in the work (Aliyu et al, 2015) where three species of Vernonia were evaluated. Lead, mercury and cadmium are some of the heavy metals which are absent in Vernonia cinerea aerial parts, there absence is good because they are elements of toxicity particularly when consumed in powdered form, suggesting that the plant is safe for consumption.…”