Compositional analysis of Swertia chirayita medicinal plant using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and ICP-MS

One of the most significant medicinal plants used to treat numerous illnesses is Swertia chirayita. The present study demonstrated the compositional analysis of the Swertia chirayita (S. chirayita) plant using an emerging and non-destructive laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. Mg, Ca, K, Fe, Sr, Cr, and Na were verified as necessary elements by the optical emission investigations, while Al, Ti, Si, Ba, Mn, and Li were non-essential. Using the Boltzmann plot technique with stark broadening parameters, plasma temperature and electron number density were calculated in the range of (10,000-12,000) K ±1000 K and (1.5-1.8) × 1017 cm-3, respectively. Finally, compositional analysis was carried out using calibration-free (CF-LIBS) analysis and results were compared with ICP-MS. It was observed that the concentration of Ca and Fe is higher than other detected elements. All the toxic elements are found to be within the safe limit. So, this medicinal plant can be used to cure a variety of diseases that arise due to the deficiency of these elements.