QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF METALS IN VITAL Withania somnifera MEDICINAL PLANT USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROSCOPY

Traditional medicine is an inseparable part of Indian culture. India has rich ethno botanical heritage. Consumption the crop is one of the main sources of dietary exposure to toxic trace elements. Withania somnifera (W. somnifera) is most commonly used as a medicinal plant in India for the treatment of inflammatory and pain related disorders. Though much work has been performed to isolate organic compound, a little attention has been given towards its inorganic elements. Some inorganic elements play an important role in various physiological processes involved in human health. The knowledge of trace and ultra trace elements is very important in various fields of science, industry, and technology, for the manufacture or preparation of these phyto pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants are the only source of raw materials. In order to assess the level of toxic trace elements from selected herbs and to make an assumption on their consumption level of concern, twenty elements in W. somnifera determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The study gives the presence of various concentrations of important trace elements including Li, Be, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cs, Ba and Tl, which are having essential role in metabolism of human body. In the present investigation, Nickel and Vanadium present 695.354 ppm and 721.1230 ppm respectively.