Overview
Mirosławski and Paukszto measured cadmium, chromium, nickel, and lead in Polish pharmacy-market peppermint-leaf and chamomile-blossom herbal preparations, then repeated the measurements on herb material remaining after preparation of 200 ml infusions. The study is occurrence evidence for dried medicinal-botanical raw material and extraction evidence for prepared herbal infusions. It reports total elemental cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) only; no speciation beyond the element level was performed.
Key numbers
All concentrations below are preserved in the paper’s units. Tables 4 and 5 report mg kg−1 for dried herbal material and post-infusion residue; Table 6 reports percent extraction into infusion; Table 7 reports μg/daily for one 200 ml infusion prepared from one sachet.
| Matrix | Cd | Cr | Ni | Pb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamomile blossom, raw material average (Table 4) | 0.22 ± 0.06 mg kg−1 | 1.27 ± 0.31 mg kg−1 | 2.29 ± 0.30 mg kg−1 | 0.62 ± 0.18 mg kg−1 |
| Chamomile blossom, raw material range across five producers (Table 4) | 0.18-0.32 mg kg−1 | 1.05-1.81 mg kg−1 | 2.05-2.81 mg kg−1 | 0.44-0.85 mg kg−1 |
| Peppermint leaves, raw material average (Table 4) | 0.58 ± 0.14 mg kg−1 | 1.41 ± 0.53 mg kg−1 | 2.38 ± 0.85 mg kg−1 | 0.82 ± 0.24 mg kg−1 |
| Peppermint leaves, raw material range across five producers (Table 4) | 0.46-0.73 mg kg−1 | 0.92-2.15 mg kg−1 | 1.15-3.48 mg kg−1 | 0.46-1.11 mg kg−1 |
| Chamomile blossom, material remaining after infusion average (Table 5) | 0.19 ± 0.05 mg kg−1 | 0.98 ± 0.24 mg kg−1 | 0.94 ± 0.12 mg kg−1 | 0.59 ± 0.16 mg kg−1 |
| Peppermint leaves, material remaining after infusion average (Table 5) | 0.50 ± 0.12 mg kg−1 | 0.89 ± 0.30 mg kg−1 | 0.74 ± 0.32 mg kg−1 | 0.77 ± 0.22 mg kg−1 |
| Chamomile blossom, extraction into infusion average (Table 6) | 16.0 ± 2.85% | 28.1 ± 1.16% | 58.1 ± 1.98% | 6.2 ± 1.61% |
| Peppermint leaves, extraction into infusion average (Table 6) | 13.9 ± 1.56% | 35.9 ± 2.80% | 70.1 ± 4.74% | 5.7 ± 1.86% |
| Chamomile blossom, daily dose from one infusion (Table 7) | 0.07 μg/daily | 0.07 μg/daily | 1.52 μg/daily | 0.08 μg/daily |
| Peppermint leaves, daily dose from one infusion (Table 7) | 0.16 μg/daily | 1.01 μg/daily | 1.93 μg/daily | 0.08 μg/daily |
The Results section states that the infusion concentrations were at the method LOD, with LODs printed as Cd 0.05 mg kg−1, Cr 0.15 mg kg−1, Ni 0.15 mg kg−1, and Pb 0.20 mg kg−1. The authors state that cadmium exceeded the WHO medicinal-plant standard in all peppermint-leaf preparations and in one chamomile-blossom preparation; lead was below the WHO level they cite.
Methods (brief)
The authors purchased five peppermint-leaf preparations and five chamomile-blossom preparations from Polish pharmacies; each producer was represented by three package-level samples, and all products were brewing bags. Raw herbs were mineralized as 0.3 g portions with concentrated nitric acid in a Magnum II microwave oven. Infusions were prepared according to package directions by adding 200 ml purified boiled water to approximately 2 g herb, cooling for 10 minutes, straining under vacuum through a G3 fritted-glass funnel, drying the separated phase at 20 °C to solid mass, and mineralizing it by the same procedure. Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb were measured by flame AAS with deuterium background correction on a Carl-Zeiss Jena AAS-3; accuracy was checked with INCT-MPH-2 Mixed Polish Herbs, with recoveries of 93.5% for Cd, 105.3% for Cr, 93.6% for Ni, and 99.1% for Pb. The paper reports total elemental Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb; no hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) or other species are reported.
Related evidence
- Herbal/Botanical Infusions
- Ingredient class — botanicals/herbs/traditional formulas
- Herbal botanicals
- Dried Herbs
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Nickel
- Lead
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