ANALYSIS OF LEAD AND CADMIUM IN SELECTE D INDIAN AYURVEDIC MEDICINES BY ICP-AES

Herbal drugs used in treatment of diabetes, require long-term usage and the patient might be at risk of heavy metal poisoning. This study has been conducted to determine the concentration of heavy metals Pb and Cd in ten (10) commonly used anti-diabetic medicines of different brands. 6 out of 10 medicines were purchased from different medical stores in Mumbai and the other four were purchased from online ayurvedic medicine selling store, Rajasthan. The samples were digested using microwave digester and finally analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. The results revealed the concentration of cadmium in the range of 0.061 to 18731.940 ppm. The concentration of lead was detected which ranged from 0.37 to 1965172.97 ppm. Pb and Cd concentration levels in most of the medicines were higher than the maximum permissible limit as found, on their comparison with the safety standards given by World Health Organization (WHO). Based on the results obtained in the present work, it is concluded that the present technique is suitable for the determination of heavy metals concentration in anti-diabetic granules and tablets at the ppb level.