This Polish study characterized the elemental and phenolic content of 12 commercially available hemp tea products (predominantly inflorescence material) by FAAS and HPLC. The study measured only four essential microelements (iron, manganese, zinc, copper) and four macroelements (sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium). No toxic metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury) were measured. The paper provides context on essential mineral variability in commercial hemp inflorescence products but contributes no data on regulated contaminants.
Key numbers
All concentrations are dry-weight basis. Values are ranges across 12 products (Table 2). [VERIFY table check]
Microelements (mg/kg DW):
| Element | Range | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Fe | 122.44 to 937.91 | 285.90 |
| Mn | 36.37 to 167.15 | 97.50 |
| Zn | 20.65 to 98.84 | 51.67 |
| Cu | 1.20 to 10.00 | mean approximately 5 |
The Italian product (sample 11) had the highest iron at 937.91 mg/kg, more than three times the next-highest sample. This outlier likely reflects elevated soil iron at the Italian sampling site.
Macroelements (mg/g DW, approximate means):
- Mg: approximately 6.4 mg/g
- Ca: approximately 52.3 mg/g
- K: approximately 16.6 mg/g
- Na: approximately 0.14 mg/g
Methods (brief)
FAAS (flame atomic absorption spectrometry); dry-weight basis; acid microwave digestion. No CRM reported for the full elemental panel. No LOD/LOQ table for elemental analysis.
Evidence fitness
This study measures essential microelements and macroelements only. It does not measure any of the regulated toxic metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, nickel, chromium, aluminum). Its contribution to the cannabis-flower metals evidence base is limited to context on essential mineral variability across commercial hemp inflorescence products from EU retail. The wide iron range (8-fold variation) illustrates geographic variability in essential mineral content, which is consistent with geographic variability in heavy metal content observed in other cannabis studies.
Limitations
No toxic metals measured. FAAS is less sensitive than ICP-MS for trace element work. No CRM recovery data provided. Matrix varies by product (some products are pure inflorescence, others may include stems and seeds in blending).
Related evidence
Update history
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