Abstract
Herbal medicines are potential sources of therapeutic aids for human beings. WHO estimates that 80% of the world’s population depends on herbal products as their primary form of health care. Herbal plants are widely used nowadays because they have few side effects, are readily available, and are cost-effective. Herbal plants are easily contaminated by absorbing heavy metals from soil, air and water. The primary health concerns of heavy metals are Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and Mercury. Heavy metal causes countless health-related issues, such as kidney and liver damage, skin cancer, etc. So, the estimation of heavy metals is fundamental. Modern techniques estimate heavy metals in herbal plants such as AAS, ICP-MS, ICP-AES and ICP-OES. This review article mainly contains general information about heavy metals, the health impact of heavy metals on the human body, case studies regarding heavy metal toxicity on human health and analytical techniques used to estimate heavy metals.
Publisher
Syncsci Publishing Pte., Ltd.
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