Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Comparing Heavy Metal Contents of Panax Ginseng Samples from Selected Markets in Tehran and Beijing

Abstract

Parisa Ziarati and Jinous Asgarpanah

Introduction: Panax Ginseng C. A. Meyer, belonging to the Araliaceae family, is a perennial plant with fleshy roots that grows in Korea and northern China. Panax Ginseng has been regarded as a medicinal plant in traditional oriental medicine. The root of Panax Ginseng is commonly used as herbal medicine. However, little is known about the contents and origin of heavy metals in the samples of herbal plants being sold in local herbal markets in Iran. The objective of the present research was to determine the level of Cadmium, Lead, Zinc, Nickl, Copper and Chromium contents in Panax Ginseng samples purchased from Tehran and Beijing local herbal markets and to find the possible process of contamination.

Material and methods: To examine these metal contents in Panax Ginseng, 100 samples from Tehran and 100 samples from Beijing local herbal markets were purchased from 20 and 25 different local herbal markets in Beijing and Tehran respectively in 2012. A certain weight of each sample was determined and then analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentration levels of heavy metals on the samples were determined as mean ± SD (mg/kg dry weight) of three replicates in each test.

Results: Results showed a significant increase in lead, Cadmium and Chromium contents in Tehran’s marketscompared to the samples purchased from Beijing markets (p<0.05). Since the amount of heavy metals in the ginseng samples obtained from Iranian markets is much higher than the corresponding figure in the ginseng supplied in the Chinese markets.

 Discussion: It may be concluded that the ginseng samples could be contaminated in different stages of transportation and storage. The contamination of medicinal herbs by toxic heavy metals results in serious safety issues due to the increasing popularity of herbal remedies in the world. Therefore, it is critical to analyze heavy metals in herbal medicine in order to assure that the levels of heavy metals do not exceed the required limits established by regulations.