Determination of heavy metals and phytochemical analysis of some selected medicinal plants

- Natural products had been essentially used by many cultures and traditions from thousands of years. Plants synthesize massive varieties of substances called secondary metabolities (Phytocompounds) and accumulated in it. The possible bioactive phytocompounds like alkaloids, flavanoids, and phenolic compounds, steroids and coumarins etc., are possible sources for drug discovery. A study was conducted to analyse the presence of traces of essential and non essential heavy metals in the preferred medicinal plants. AAS is used to examine the presence of heavy metals in the selected medicinal plant. Results obtained in the present study showed that the medicinal herb analysed contain heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Pb, Al, V, Cr, Mo, Hg, As and Cd). The concentration (ppm) of heavy metals in the plant extracts like Plectranthus mollis, Elaeagnus conferta and Grewia tilaefolia leaf extracts were found using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The qualitative analysis showed that alkaloids were mainly seen in most of the samples of Hydro alcoholic leaf extracts. Total phenol, Flavonoid, Steroids, Alkaloid and Tannins were present in all the three samples extracted by Hydro alcoholic leaf extracts. Total phenol and Alkaloid were seen more in leaf samples, from the judgment of the results with the defined permissible limits, it was accomplished that the levels of heavy metals present in the herb falls in the permissible limits for consumed medicinal herbs. Purpose of this study is to determine heavy metals contents in chosen herbal plants and also to highlight the health concerns related to the presence of toxic levels of heavy metals. The presence of high amount of phytochemical compounds put forward that the Grewia tilaefolia plant has higher medicinal value and can be extensively studied to extract the natural compounds which are beneficial to human beings and that could be commercialized for higher production than using synthetic drugs with side effects.