Effect of Heavy Metals in Naturally Occurring Medicinal Plants of India

Abstract

This paper presents the effect of heavy metal bioconcentration on 23 plant species that occur in natural ecosystems of India. The average concentration of mercury in the coastal plants was 15.3 times higher than that of the inland plants. The average concentration of zinc in the inland plants was significantly higher than coastal medicinal plants. With the exception of one plant (Eclipta alba), the concentrations of lead among 22 plant species investigated were higher than the normal range of lead concentration showing signs of environmental contamination. Local people continue to use plants reported in this paper in the traditional medicine to treat various ailments, which may increase the risk of heavy metal toxicity. It is vital to develop long-term environmental monitoring in India's natural ecosystems to evaluate levels of contaminants in organisms so that counter measures can be deployed to decelerate environmental toxicity and to safeguard human health in future.