Abstract

HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATION IN AYURVEDIC PLANT DRUG OF CASSIA ANGUSTIFOLIA (VAHL) AND THEIR REMEDIATION

Kistamma Singanaboina*, Venkateshwar Chinna, Suman Kumar Ratnampally

Abstract

Cassia angustifolia, one of the most important ayurvedic medicinal plants which were investigated to know the heavy metal content distribution in the plant parts and their remediation. Due to heavy metal entry, the crude drug medicine of going to be a hazardous therefore to stop entry of the heavy metals, the present work is taken up. The plants were grown in different soil treatments as site-I control without any addition to the soil, site-II cadmium 10ppm, chromium 20ppm, nickel 16ppm were introduced into the soil and site-III 1% calcium hydroxide was also added along with heavy metals to the soil and the plants were grown up to the productivity levels. The amount of heavy metal distribution in different plant parts of Cassia angustifolia was analyzed with AAS after acid digestion method. The amount of Heavy metals was more in plants grown only in heavy metal treated soils (site-II) when compared to 1% calcium hydroxide treated soil (site-III). The metals Ni, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Zn were present in higher concentration in the roots, leaves, stem and seeds except in the plants treated with 1% Ca (OH) 2 . The plants grown in 1% Calcium hydroxide treated reversed the growth suppression of heavy metal toxicity in plants as evidenced by reduced metal contents in plants grown with remediation. The present study revealed that the cropping pattern of growing the above plant even in polluted areas with 1% Calcium hydroxide treatment, results in genuine pure ayurvedic plant parts which can be used in medicine.

Keywords: Cassia angustifolia, heavy metals, toxicity, atomic absorption spectroscopy, remediation.