Health Hazard Assessment Due to Slimming Medicinal Plant Intake.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacognosy
• Environmental Toxicology
• Food Safety

Background:

• Medicinal plants are crucial for primary healthcare globally, especially for weight management.
• Concerns exist regarding the safety of traditional medicines due to potential heavy metal contamination.
• Brazil's expansion of traditional medicine use necessitates safety assessments of herbal products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify metal and metalloid concentrations in slimming medicinal plants and teas.
• To assess the safety of consuming these products based on established intake limits.
• To identify potential health risks associated with elemental contamination in herbal weight-loss products.

Main Methods:

• Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) was used for elemental analysis.
• Concentrations of various metals and metalloids were determined in both raw plant materials and their corresponding teas.
• Safety was evaluated against Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL), Provisional Tolerable Daily Maximum Intake (PTDMI), and Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI).

Main Results:

• Most analyzed plants and teas were within established safe intake limits for heavy metals.
• The Hazard Quotient (HQ) exceeded 1 for nearly all plants and for Hibiscus sabdariffa tea concerning aluminum.
• Arsenic levels in raw plants surpassed the Brazilian Pharmacopeia limits, indicating a consumption risk.

Conclusions:

• While many slimming herbs and teas show acceptable heavy metal levels, arsenic in raw plants presents a significant risk.
• Elevated aluminum in Hibiscus sabdariffa tea warrants further investigation.
• The presence of lead, cadmium, and arsenic in some herbs, without established safety limits, raises concerns for consumer safety.