Analysis of Some Heavy Metals from Fruits of Medicinal Plants Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia chebula from India and Nepal by ICP-OES Technique

Heavy metals as environmental contaminants of terrestrial ecosystems is not a recent phenomenon. As certain plants have a tendency of storing heavy metals from soils, polluted water and atmosphere, heavy metals are a matter of concern in the herbal drugs. Therefore, test for heavy metals is essential for herbal medicines. Fruits of Amalaki (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.) are used individually or in combination as Triphala in number of formulations. Triphala and its constituents act as cardio-tonic, control blood pressure, improve blood circulation and reduce cholesterol levels. Because of such wide use of these fruits in various herbal formulations, it is necessary to analyse at least common heavy metals from the raw materials before they can be processed further. To meet the heavy demand for this raw material and due to the easy accessibility, some supply also comes from neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. In the present paper fruits of Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki procured from India (Karjat) and Nepal (Baghlongh) were analysed for five heavy metals Cu, Zn, Pb and Hg by Optical Emission Spectroscopy, which uses the technique of inductively coupled plasma. There was a significant variation in the heavy metal content of fruits collected from India and Nepal.