Ghobad Abangah, Mohadeseh Pirhadi, Behnaz Shojaei, Mohamadreza Nazer, Abas Ghaysouri,
Volume 7, Issue 1 (2-2025)
Abstract
Objective: Medicinal plants and herbal medicines are usually safer than chemical medicines, but their arbitrary use may be associated with side effects. Some people think that medicinal plants and medicines that have a plant base cannot cause health problems and are not harmful, while medicinal plants and herbal medicines, like any chemical medicine, have their own side effects. The food chain, including edible and medicinal plants, can be one of the important sources of heavy metals transfer to the human body and endanger human health. The aim of this study is to determine the amount of lead heavy metal in licorice and fennel medicinal plants using furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.
Methods: In this study, 10 dry samples of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) were collected from Chamestan, Mazandaran. The samples were analyzed using GC-MS in SIM mode with a carrier gas speed of 1 ml/min and an injection temperature of 250°C. For element analysis, the samples were digested using methods from Agrawal et al. (2011) and Manutsewee et al. (2007), and the metal concentrations were measured with ICP-OES and ICP-MS, expressed in mg/Kg.
Results: The results of this study showed that the average heavy metal concentration of lead in licorice and fennel was 21.63 ppb and 23.45 ppb, respectively.
Conclusion: The results obtained in this study are higher than the limit set by WHO. Based on the results, consumption of licorice and fennel medicinal plants has dangerous health consequences for consumers, especially children and pregnant women. Heavy metals enter the body by consuming food such as medicinal plants, contaminated water and other sources and can lead to toxic effects in different organs. Considering the potential risk of heavy metal contamination for public health and their carcinogenic effects, obtaining information regarding the concentration of heavy metals in medicinal plants can be helpful.
