Composition of Three Common Chinese Herbal Medicines and the Influence of Preparation Types on the Bioaccessibility of Trace Elements

Abstract

The high concentration of trace elements in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is an important research topic for quality control. This study investigated the total concentration of trace elements in three herbs used as both medicine and supplementary food, including Astragalus membranaceus, Glycyrrhiza, and Isatidis. Further, the effects of different preparation ways, such as decoct, granule, and oral liquid, on the bioaccessibility of trace elements in CHM were disclosed. Results indicated that the total concentrations of trace elements in these three herbs were lower than the medical standards, but the concentrations of As and Pb in CHMs were higher than the standards for supplementary food. Different preparations ways affect bioaccessibility. Powder and oral liquid show a high bioaccessibility possibly because of the grinding process and the repeated extraction with ethanol. Among the three different CHMs, Isatidis showed higher bioaccessibility of As, which may be related to the sulfur fumigation process of this CHM. The three investigated CHMs were found to be safe as medicine but presented risks as supplementary food. The apparent influence of preparation procedures on the bioaccessibility of trace elements indicated that it is necessary to appropriately regulate preparation processes for CHMs.