Analysis of folk medicinal plant using atomic absorption spectrometer

Abstract

Myrtaceae family's folk medicinal plants are very essential for human health care in India and other countries of the world. The common people of Hyderabad - Karnataka region, viz., Bidar, Gulbarga and Yadgir districts, have been traditionally using medicinal plants for treatment of different types of disease. The collected medicinal plants have been dried in clean room without any ventilation and which is free from dust. Usual processes have been adopted to get a fine powder and ash sample, finally prepare 100 mL solution for analysis. A single beam iCE 3000 series atomic absorption spectrometer has been used for elemental analysis. The whole system is controlled via a data station running thermo scientific iCE SOLAAR software which runs under a windows operating system and changing different hollow cathode lamp sources and flames. The instrument was calibrated using different standards for analysis of trace/minor/major elements. In the present study, authors have analysed the 12 useful nutrient elements namely Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn in Eucalyptus Oblique and Gava medicinal plants. All estimated elemental concentrations have been found in acceptable quantity in studied medicinal plants (0.01-20.48 mg/L) and the variation of elemental concentration with respect to geographical changes of the regions and found their concentration within the permissible limits of WHO.