Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics & Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, P.M.B, Lagos 12003, Nigeria.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Nov 25;150(2):614-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.09.015. Epub 2013 Oct 3.
ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Soil pollution due to increasing industrialization is a reality that is taking its toll on mankind today. Considering the population of people that use herbal remedies especially in developing countries and the discharge of industrial waste on surrounding herbal vegetation, it is imperative to determine the heavy metals contamination in some commonly used medicinal plants.
Representative samples of five medicinal plants Ageratum conyzoides, Aspilia africana, Alchornea cordifolia, Amaranthus brasiliensis and Chromolaena odorata were collected from Ikpoba-Okha L.G.A, Edo State Nigeria, around a paint company and another set of same plants were collected from a non-polluted source. Dried leaves and roots of collected plants were digested and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) for the presence of Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn). Soil samples from polluted and non-polluted areas were also analyzed to ascertain the levels of these heavy metals in the environment.
Results show that the concentrations of these heavy metals in the leaves and roots of plants collected from polluted soil were significantly higher than those obtained from unpolluted soil. Correspondingly heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher in polluted than in unpolluted soil samples.
As part of continuing effort in the standardization of traditional remedies, environmental contamination control and abatement is evident. The source of medicinal plants/herbs should also be a cause for concern since the toxicity of medicinal plants is sometimes associated with environmental sources of the plants.
由于工业化的不断发展，土壤污染正严重威胁着人类健康。鉴于在发展中国家使用草药的人群数量众多，以及工业废物对周围草药植物的排放，确定一些常用药用植物中的重金属污染情况是当务之急。
从尼日利亚江户州 Ikpoba-Okha L.G.A 的一家油漆厂附近采集了五种药用植物（Agreatum conyzoides、Aspilia africana、Alchornea cordifolia、Amaranthus brasiliensis 和 Chromolaena odorata）的代表性样本，以及另一组来自无污染来源的相同植物。采集的植物的干叶和根用原子吸收分光光度计（AAS）进行消解和分析，以检测铅（Pb）、镉（Cd）、铬（Cr）、镍（Ni）和锌（Zn）的存在。还分析了污染和未污染地区的土壤样本，以确定这些重金属在环境中的水平。
结果表明，从污染土壤中采集的植物的叶和根中的这些重金属浓度明显高于从未污染土壤中获得的浓度。相应地，污染土壤样本中的重金属浓度明显高于未污染土壤样本。
作为传统疗法标准化持续努力的一部分，环境污染控制和减轻是显而易见的。药用植物/草药的来源也应该引起关注，因为药用植物的毒性有时与植物的环境来源有关。
