Trace Metals Accumulation in Bacopa monnieri and Their Bioaccessibility

Abstract

Bacopa monnieri is commonly known as “Brahmi” or “Water hyssop” and is a source of nootropic drugs. Aboveground parts of plant samples collected from peri-urban Indian areas were analysed for total trace metal concentrations. Subsequently, three samples with high concentrations of Cd and Pb were subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion to assess the bioaccessibility of the trace metals in these plants. The total concentrations of trace metals on a dry weight basis were 1.3 to 6.7 mg · kg⁻¹ Cd, 1.5 to 22 mg · kg⁻¹ Pb, 36 to 237 mg · kg⁻¹ Cu, and 78 to 186 mg · kg⁻¹ Zn. The majority of Bacopa monnieri samples exceeded threshold limits of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn for use as raw medicinal plant material or direct consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate Bacopa monnieri collected in nature for their trace metal content prior to human consumption and preparation of herbal formulations.

Key words

Bacopa monnieri - Scrophulariaceae - bioaccessibility - brain tonic - herbal drug - toxic metals

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