Findings on the heavy metal content in herbal drugs and essential oils – An updated database evaluation

In order to guarantee the safety of patients and consumers, the European legal framework restricts the content of heavy metals and further elements in plant material used for the production of medicinal and food products. This data evaluation comprises findings on seven elements between 2016 and 202...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied research on medicinal and aromatic plants 2025-02, Vol.44, p.100609, Article 100609
Main Authors: Binder, Gerald, Knödler, Matthias, Klier, Bernhard, Zang, Patricia, Albert, Hagen, Barofsky, Alexandra, Steinhoff, Barbara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arsenic
Cadmium
Cobalt
Elemental impurities
Essential oils
Heavy metals (lead
Herbal drugs
Mercury
Nickel
Vanadium
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Summary:In order to guarantee the safety of patients and consumers, the European legal framework restricts the content of heavy metals and further elements in plant material used for the production of medicinal and food products. This data evaluation comprises findings on seven elements between 2016 and 2021 which were assessed against the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.) and the ICH Q3D guideline on elemental impurities. 15.328 herbal drug samples from 427 products and 537 essential oil samples from 25 products were included in this evaluation which demonstrates that the Ph. Eur. limits set for cadmium, lead and mercury are considered appropriate. Samples from organic production revealed a lower occurrence of cadmium, lead and mercury as compared to samples from conventional production. With regard to the ICH Q3D requirements, none of the herbal drug samples exceeded the respective limit for cobalt, nickel and vanadium, while for arsenic higher values were observed in individual cases. A comparison of the findings with a former period of evaluation showed an increase in positive findings and also a few more exceedances of the Ph.Eur. limits. For essential oils, it can be confirmed that independent from the production process, the probability of heavy metal contamination is low. [Display omitted] •Findings of seven elements in 15.328 herbal drug and 537 essential oil samples.•European Pharmacopoeia limits for cadmium, lead and mercury are appropriate.•Increase in positive findings compared to a former evaluation period.•Low probability of heavy metal contamination for essential oils.
ISSN:2214-7861
2214-7861
DOI:10.1016/j.jarmap.2024.100609