Obi E, Akunyili Dora N, Ekpo B, Orisakwe Orish E
Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacology, College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria.
Sci Total Environ. 2006 Oct 1;369(1-3):35-41. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.04.024. Epub 2006 Jun 6.
The uses of herbal products are not regulated in Nigeria and in many low-income countries and are freely available to everyone. The safety of these herbal medicines is poorly understood. This study characterizes the content of cadmium, copper, iron, nickel, selenium, zinc, lead and mercury in a random sample of Nigerian traditional products. Ready-to-use herbal products were purchased from the open market and digested using HNO3.The heavy metal content of the digested filtrate was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry Uni-cam Model 929. The result showed that 100% of the samples contained elevated amounts of heavy metals. These data alert us to the possibility of heavy metal toxicity from herbal products in Nigeria. The public health hazards from ingestion of herbal medicines should be identified and disclosed by in-depth risk assessment studies.
在尼日利亚以及许多低收入国家，草药产品的使用并未受到监管，每个人都可以自由获取。这些草药的安全性鲜为人知。本研究对尼日利亚传统产品的随机样本中的镉、铜、铁、镍、硒、锌、铅和汞含量进行了表征。即食草药产品从公开市场购买，并用硝酸进行消化。消化滤液中的重金属含量通过单光束原子吸收光谱仪（尤尼柯929型）测定。结果表明，100%的样品含有大量重金属。这些数据提醒我们，尼日利亚草药产品存在重金属中毒的可能性。应通过深入的风险评估研究来识别和披露摄入草药带来的公共健康危害。
