Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Monitoring of metallic micronutrients and heavy metals in herbs, spices and medicinal plants from Austria.

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Food Research and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Medicinal, aromatic and spice plants grown in different regions of Austria were monitored as to their Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn contents. Since the plants were grown under common field conditions, the essential elements were within the usual ranges for plant material. The contamination level with the toxic heavy metals, Pb and Cd, can be classified as normally low. Most samples contained less than 0.2 mg kg−1 Cd and less than 1.5 mg kg−1 Pb on a dry weight basis. Comparison with previous investigations suggests that contaminations with Pb occur rather by chance, whereas enhanced Cd values are restricted to some species having a tendency to accumulate this heavy metal. Some such species are St. John´s wort, poppy, yarrow, chamomile and absinth. Careful choice of growing site and appropriate soil management can reduce the Cd uptake of these critical species. These precautions are important when larger amounts of the product are consumed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Verlet N, Leclercq G (1996) Towards a model of technical and economic optimization of specialist minor crops. In: Commission Européenne, Concerted Action AIR3-CT-94–2076

  2. Máthé Á, Franz Ch (1999) J Herb Spice Med Plant 6:101–113

    Google Scholar 

  3. Souci SW, Fachmann W, Kraut H (2000) Food composition and nutrition tables, 6th edn. Medpharm, Stuttgart and CRC, Boca Raton

  4. Schilcher H (1994) Herba Ger 2:11–18

    Google Scholar 

  5. Kabelitz L (1998) Pharm Ind 60:444–451

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chizzola R (1989) Acta Hort 249:98–96

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chizzola R, Franz C (1996) Angew Bot 70:52–56

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kabata-Pendias A, Pendias H (1985) Trace elements in soils and plants. CRC, Boca Raton, Fla.

  9. Anonymous (1997) Bundesgesundheitsblatt 40:182–184

    Google Scholar 

  10. Schilcher H, Peters H (1990) Pharm Ind 52:916–921

    Google Scholar 

  11. WHO (1999) WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants, vol. 1. World Health Organisation, Geneva

  12. Dachler M, Kernmayer I (1997) Düngemittelaufwand in Österreich. In: Blum WEH, Klaghofer E, Köchl A, Ruckenbauer P(eds) Bodenschutz in Österreich. Bundesamt und Forschungszentrum für Landwirtschaft, Wien

  13. Danneberg, O.H., Aichberger, K., Puchwein, G., Wandl, M. (1997) Bodenchemismus. In: Blum WEH, Klaghofer E, Köchl A, Ruckenbauer P (eds) Bodenschutz in Österreich. Bundesamt und Forschungszentrum für Landwirtschaft, Wien

  14. Chizzola R (2001) J Plant Nutr 24:1663–1667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Li YM, Chaney RL, Schneiter AA, Miller JF (1995) Crop Sci 35:137–141

    Google Scholar 

  16. Schneider M, Marquard R (1996) Z Arznei Gewürzpflanzen 1:111–116

  17. Malko A (2002) Untersuchungen zum Wirkstoffgehalt, zur Cadmiumaufnahme und Rotwelkeanfälligkeit von Hypericum perforatum L. Shaker, Aachen, Germany

  18. Schneider E, Pank F, Koball G, Foltys de Garcia E, Dehe M, Blüthner WD (2002) Z. Arznei Gewürzpflanzen 7:329–335

  19. Zheljazkov VD, Nielsen NE (1996) Plant Soil 178:59–66

    Google Scholar 

  20. Zheljazkov VD, Jeliazkova EA, Craker LE, Yankov B, Georgieva T, Kolev T (1999) Acta Hort 500:111–117

    Google Scholar 

  21. Salamon I, Hecl J, Haban M (2001) Heavy metal determination of several medicinal plants in the central Zemplin. World Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Budapest, Hungary 2001. Abstract PII/47

  22. Plescher A, Pohl H, Vetter A, Förtsch U (1995) Herba Ger 3:116–125

    Google Scholar 

  23. Wenzel WW, Blum WEH, Brandstetter A, Jockwer F, Koechl A, Oberforster M, Oberlaender HE, Riedler C, Roth K, Valdeva I. (1996) Z Pflanzenernähr Bodenk 159:609–614

Download references

Acknowledgements

For providing us with crude drug samples, we thank the grower associations "Waldland", Oberwaltenreith, Lower Austria; the "Alternativproduzenten-Gemeinschaft Wullersdorf", Lower Austria; the "Saatbau Linz", Upper Austria; the "Bergkräutergenossenschaft Hirschbach", Upper Austria; the "Landesversuchsanlage für Spezialkulturen in Wies", Styria; the local growers Mr. G. Steiner, Gars/Kamp, Lower Austria; Mr. W. Waraschitz, Lassee, Lower Austria; Mr. F. Meier, Marchtrenk, Upper Austria.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Applied Botany, Veterinary Medicine University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 , Vienna, Austria

    Remigius Chizzola, Hanneliese Michitsch & Chlodwig Franz

Authors
  1. Remigius Chizzola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hanneliese Michitsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chlodwig Franz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Remigius Chizzola.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chizzola, R., Michitsch, H. & Franz, C. Monitoring of metallic micronutrients and heavy metals in herbs, spices and medicinal plants from Austria.. Eur Food Res Technol 216, 407–411 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-003-0675-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-003-0675-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation