A comparative study on elemental composition in some wild and cultivated medicinal plants

Abstract

An evaluation of elemental composition in medicinal plant is important because mineral contents may be the source of a pharmacological effect. Four elements (Na, K, Mg and Zn) were analysed in wild and cultivated medicinal plants such as Andrographis paniculata, Vitex negundo and Solanum surattense. The present study revealed the presence of minerals such as Na, K, Mg and Zn in all the studied medicinal plants grown in both wild and domestic condition. The presence of those elements indicates the medicinal value of the studied plants. The results show that the cultivated medicinal plants contain more concentration of all the four investigated elements when compared to medicinal plants collected from wild area.