| Summary: | 碩士 === 中華醫事科技大學 === 醫學檢驗生物技術系碩士班 === 101 === The use of medicinal plants in therapeutics or as dietary supplements goes back beyond recorded history, but has increased substantially in the last decades. However, the safety of their use has recently been questioned due to the reports of illness and fatalities. Poisonings associated with the presence of toxic metals in medicinal plants were reported in Asia, Europe and the United States. Medicinal herbs may be easily contaminated during growing and processing. The level of essential elements in plants is conditional, the content being affected by the geochemical characteristics of the soil and by the ability of plants to selectively accumulate some of these elements. Seven mineral and trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Pb, Cd) were determined in the herbs and mushrooms and their infusions consumed for health purposes in Taiwan. Element concentrations in the medicinal herbs and their infusions were determined by FAAS. The mineral and trace element content of medicinal herbs and their infusions was showed a wide variability. Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Pb, Cd was found in samples of the other medicinal herbs at levels up to 2779.5 mg/kg, 32.5 mg/kg, 1522.3 mg/kg, 3.5 mg/kg, 164.1 mg/kg, 4.8 mg/kg, 2.3 mg/kg, respectively. It is important to have a good quality control for herbal medicines and mushrooms in order to protect consumers from contamination.
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