Elemental Composition of Infusions of Herbs (Tisanes) of North Ossetia (the Caucasus)
Yuliya Lavrinenko,
Anna Plieva,
Inga Zinicovscaia,
Gergana Hristozova,
Marina Frontasyeva,
Kirill Tkachenko,
Denis N. Dogadkin,
Irina N. Gromyak,
Vladimir P. Kolotov
Affiliations
Yuliya Lavrinenko
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Botany, Faculty of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, The North Ossetian State University of K.L., Khetagurov, 362025 Vladikavkaz, Russia
Anna Plieva
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Botany, Faculty of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, The North Ossetian State University of K.L., Khetagurov, 362025 Vladikavkaz, Russia
Inga Zinicovscaia
Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Gergana Hristozova
Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Marina Frontasyeva
Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Kirill Tkachenko
Komarov Botanical Institute of RAS (BIN), 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Denis N. Dogadkin
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
Irina N. Gromyak
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
Vladimir P. Kolotov
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
Herbal infusions are consumed worldwide owing to their beneficial properties. Cultivated or obtained from the wild, herbal raw plant materials may contain trace elements at various levels. This study relates to the release of beneficial and potentially toxic trace elements from herbal preparations during infusion. The elemental contents of seven commercially available herbal tea products were determined prior to and following two modes of infusion. Teabags (of equal herb content) were infused in 200 mL of boiling bottled water “Holy Spirit” for 15 and 45 min, in glass beakers. The total content of 57 elements including heavy metals, rare earth elements, as well as Th and U, were determined by ICP-MS and ICP-AES. The metals present in the highest concentrations were K, Ca, P, and S. Potassium, Mg, Co, Ni, As, Rb, and Cs had the highest extractability, whereas Ga, Ge, Se, Zr, Nb, Te, Er, Yb, W, Tl, and U had the lowest extractability.
