Determination of moisture, total ash, silica, and trace elements in phytotherapics

• Grant number: 11/06827-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Sergio Cardoso da Silva
• Grantee: Rodolfo Daniel Moreno Reis Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The demand for herbal medicines is growing worldwide. The expansion of interest has required the standardization of the sector with implementation and constant review of technical standards for the production and marketing of these medicines in order to ensure the safe use, therapeutic efficacy, and quality of the products. According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately 80% of the world population has resorted to the benefits of certain herbs with therapeutic action popularly recognized. Despite the vast flora and the extensive use of medicinal plants by the population, it is a consensus that scientific studies on the subject are insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to stimulate such studies in view of the importance of the results in both individual and social fields. The determination of major, minor, and trace elements and the research of metabolic processes and their impacts on human health is of great importance due to the growth of environmental pollution that directly affects the plants and therefore the phytoterapics. Therefore, the objective of this project is to determine the content of inorganic constituents in herbal medicine: moisture, total ash, silica, and the elements As, Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Cs, Co, Cr, Fe, Hf, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Ta, Th, U, Zn and Zr by neutron activation analysis in order to verify the quality of products as well as their correlation with the standards.(AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVA, PAULO S. C.; FRANCISCONI, LUCILAINE S.; GONCALVES, RODOLFO D. M. R.. Evaluation of Major and Trace Elements in Medicinal Plants. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 27, n. 12, p. 2273-2289, DEC 2016. (11/06827-9, 11/06768-2)