Analysis of Major and Trace Elements in Crude Drug and Infusions of Pluchea sagittalis (Asteraceae)

Abstract

Pluchea sagittalis (Lam.) Cabrera is widely used in Argentinean folk medicine. In this work, eleven major and trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb, and Zn) were determined in P. sagittalis herb and made infusions by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Infusions were prepared using deionized water and the extraction yields for all elements present in the infusions were calculated. The results showed that contributions of P. sagittalis infusions of essential elements were less than 6% for humans. Although, the high amounts of K, Mg, and Na in infusions justify the use of this herb as nutritional supplement in special diets. Additionally, the contribution of non-essential elements (Al, Cd and Pb) was very low and did not pose any threat to consumers. Finally, the accuracy and precision of the method were verified against a NIST 1570a Spinach leaves certified reference material.