Estimation of Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, Lead and Zinc in Five Medicinal Plants Collected from Musa Khail area in Baluchistan

A B S T R A C T This study achieved a employed methodology to find out the level of Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc in five medicinal plants, including Hertia intermedia, Cardariachalepense, Scorzoneraammophila, Tamarixkarelinii and Astragalus auganus, collected from Musa Khail area of Baluchistan, Pakistan. The plant samples were treated with the necessary acids to digest the material, ensuring the thorough extraction of heavy metals. The contents of heavy metals were then estimated by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, a highly reliable method for heavy metal analysis. The study's findings indicated that all the studied plants contained Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations below the recommended limit by Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations. However, the Pb concentrations identified in Hertia intermedia and Tamarix karelinii were slightly higher than the FAO/WHO limit of 0.43 ppm but complied with the WHO limit for medicinal plants of up to 10 ppm. This article thus re-emphasizes the need for constant detection and identification of the levels of heavy metals in plants used in traditional medication.