Dyakova compares nine elements in medicinal plant materials collected in disturbed and control environments in Russia’s Voronezh region during 2015–2020. The reported ranges preserve tissue and environmental setting; the paper also proposes regional background means across species.
Key numbers
Table 1 ranges (mg/kg), with disturbed/control settings retained separately:
| Plant and setting | Pb | Hg | Cd | As | Ni | Cr | Co | Cu | Zn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polygonum aviculare herb; disturbed | 0.31–4.95 | 0.002–0.004 | 0.00–0.05 | 0.05–0.27 | 1.23–7.47 | 0.68–6.17 | 0.63–1.45 | 5.71–32.64 | 19.37–76.48 |
| Polygonum aviculare herb; control | 0.24–0.52 | 0.002–0.003 | 0.00–0.01 | 0.04–0.06 | 1.75–2.75 | 0.85–2.3 | 0.75–0.91 | 4.37–9.35 | 24.48–38.1 |
| Artemisia absinthium herb; disturbed | 0.21–2.04 | 0.004–0.009 | 0.04–0.56 | 0.31–1.20 | 0.65–5.24 | 0.23–3.98 | 0.15–1.16 | 12.94–45.37 | 16.98–115.36 |
| Artemisia absinthium herb; control | 0.26–0.32 | 0.004–0.005 | 0.02–0.04 | 0.20–0.34 | 0.72–1.32 | 0.58–0.87 | 0.20–0.31 | 12.69–19.1 | 23.75–28.05 |
| Achillea millefolium herb; disturbed | 0.40–2.37 | 0.002–0.005 | 0.02–0.11 | 0.17–0.78 | 0.77–4.93 | 0.16–2.39 | 0.20–1.62 | 7.25–34.71 | 15.82–55.85 |
| Achillea millefolium herb; control | 0.22–0.32 | 0.002–0.003 | 0.01–0.03 | 0.18–0.24 | 0.56–1.08 | 0.19–0.32 | 0.16–0.21 | 6.69–8.26 | 19.63–26.17 |
| Leonurus quinquelobatus herb; disturbed | 0.35–2.59 | 0.002–0.006 | 0.04–0.48 | 0.12–0.53 | 1.04–8.46 | 0.41–4.51 | 0.43–2.29 | 7.52–27.37 | 21.97–89.42 |
| Leonurus quinquelobatus herb; control | 0.17–0.34 | 0.002–0.004 | 0.02–0.03 | 0.10–0.16 | 1.31–3.19 | 0.26–0.44 | 0.48–0.62 | 6.23–8.32 | 22.98–32.65 |
| Plantago major leaves; disturbed | 0.37–3.23 | 0.005–0.009 | 0.01–0.27 | 0.21–0.87 | 0.96–8.90 | 1.35–11.41 | 0.44–3.05 | 3.89–12.67 | 11.54–66.96 |
| Plantago major leaves; control | 0.46–0.67 | 0.005–0.007 | 0.02–0.04 | 0.20–0.32 | 1.29–2.53 | 1.20–2.22 | 0.27–0.51 | 3.24–5.11 | 18.50–26.11 |
| Urtica dioica leaves; disturbed | 0.29–2.76 | 0.005–0.009 | 0.00–0.03 | 0.08–0.36 | 1.03–8.89 | 0.85–13.80 | 0.06–3.51 | 5.99–14.20 | 18.76–57.98 |
| Urtica dioica leaves; control | 0.37–0.40 | 0.003–0.007 | 0.00–0.01 | 0.05–0.09 | 1.58–2.56 | 1.03–2.21 | 0.08–0.34 | 5.13–7.78 | 17.83–32.75 |
| Tilia cordata flowers; disturbed | 0.09–0.24 | 0.000–0.003 | 0.00–0.05 | 0.01–0.03 | 0.47–1.56 | 0.04–1.18 | 0.05–1.32 | 0.69–9.89 | 10.53–81.36 |
| Tilia cordata flowers; control | 0.07–0.13 | 0.000 | 0.00 | 0.00–0.01 | 0.56–0.87 | 0.05–0.19 | 0.08–0.21 | 1.53–3.28 | 12.53–21.63 |
| Tanacetum vulgare flowers; disturbed | 0.11–0.33 | 0.000–0.003 | 0.02–0.08 | 0.03–0.12 | 1.64–4.07 | 0.11–0.94 | 0.11–0.58 | 3.40–13.92 | 18.40–55.72 |
| Tanacetum vulgare flowers; control | 0.10–0.12 | 0.000 | 0.01–0.03 | 0.02–0.03 | 1.49–2.02 | 0.06–0.25 | 0.16–0.24 | 3.74–5.36 | 18.50–24.1 |
| Taraxacum officinale roots; disturbed | 0.95–4.83 | 0.003–0.006 | 0.03–0.18 | 0.10–0.68 | 0.86–4.14 | 3.13–14.04 | 4.90–14.81 | 4.17–14.63 | 20.17–97.45 |
| Taraxacum officinale roots; control | 1.49–1.87 | 0.003–0.004 | 0.02–0.04 | 0.09–0.12 | 0.67–0.93 | 3.40–4.5 | 4.28–5.26 | 4.62–6.43 | 23.66–35.19 |
| Arctium lappa roots; disturbed | 0.78–4.88 | 0.003–0.006 | 0.04–0.28 | 0.19–0.81 | 1.05–5.94 | 2.78–13.36 | 2.59–13.85 | 5.31–16.62 | 21.04–76.37 |
| Arctium lappa roots; control | 0.59–0.88 | 0.003–0.004 | 0.02–0.04 | 0.14–0.26 | 2.08–2.76 | 2.32–3.09 | 2.17–3.53 | 7.84–9.52 | 29.08–35.74 |
Table 2 regional background means (same element order): 1.04, 0.004, 0.08, 0.22, 2.94, 2.77, 1.85, 11.37, 40.23 mg/kg.
The paper reports arsenic pharmacopoeial exceedance fractions of 24% for Artemisia herb, 12% each for Achillea herb and Plantago leaves, 8% for Arctium roots, 5% for Leonurus herb and 4% for Taraxacum roots (p 4). These are source-reported comparisons, not independently verified legal determinations.
Methods (brief)
Pharmacopoeial medicinal herbs, leaves, flowers and roots collected from 51 sites including three reserve/control areas, agricultural areas, industrial/transport settings and other disturbed locations. Collections in 2015–2020; AAS using MGA-915 MD and Russian pharmacopoeial method OFS.1.2.2.2.0012.15. Concentrations are reported in mg/kg medicinal raw material; moisture basis, sample-specific dates, replicate counts and numeric detection limits are not supplied in the preserved paper.
Implications
Supports geographic and tissue-specific contamination evidence for botanical raw materials and environmental attribution hypotheses. It does not measure finished supplements or isolate an individual polluter’s causal contribution.
Evidence Fitness: EF-2 for species/tissue and disturbed/control ranges; background means are mixed-species context. Basis and sampling-detail gaps remain visible and do not erase reported summaries.
Related evidence
- Herbal botanicals
- Ingredient class — botanicals/herbs/traditional formulas
- Soil-to-plant transfer of heavy metals
- Source attribution and environmental burden apportionment
- Lead
- Mercury, Total
- Cadmium
- Arsenic, Total
- Nickel
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Zinc
Update history
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