Metal Contents in the Most Widely Consumed Commercial Preparations of Four Different Medicinal Plants (Aloe, Senna, Ginseng, and Ginkgo) from Europe.

Biol Trace Elem Res. 2018 Apr 13. doi: 10.1007/s12011-018-1329-7. [Epub ahead of print] Rubio C1, Paz S2, Tius E2, Hardisson A2, Gutierrez AJ2, Gonzalez-Weller D3, Caballero JM2, Revert C2. Author information 1 Department of Toxicology, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. crubio@ull.edu.es. 2 Department of Toxicology, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. 3 Health Inspection and Laboratory Service, Canary Health Service, S/C de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Abstract Medicinal plants like Aloe barbadensis, Ginkgo biloba, Panax ginseng, and Cassia angustifolia are being increasingly used but self-medication is a major public health challenge because of their numerous interactions. Furthermore, dietary exposure to metals through the consumption of these commercial preparations should be evaluated. Some of these metals may have a nutritional interest but others are metals of toxicological relevance. The content of essential and toxic metals has been analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in 80 samples of both organically and conventionally grown aloe, senna, ginseng, and ginkgo pharmaceutical formats to establish their metallic profile, to evaluate their nutritional value and to assess the toxic metal risk resulting from their consumption. Ca (9181 mg/kg ww) in senna, Fe (30.0 mg/kg ww) in ginseng, and Al (15.7 mg/kg ww) in ginseng are noteworthy. The consumption of 9 g/day of ginkgo represents 6.44% of the RDI set for Ca. The consumption of 25 mL/day of aloe syrup is 3.06% (men) and 1.52% (women) of the RDI of Fe. Al exposure from 25 mL/day of aloe consumption is 2.71% of its TDI. Considering the dosages recommended by the manufacturers, the intake of toxic metals does not pose a health risk but the intake of essential metals is worth mentioning. KEYWORDS: Aloe barbadensis; Cassia angustifolia; Ginkgo biloba; Metals; Nutritional and toxicology assessment; Panax ginseng PMID: 29654487 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-018-1329-7