Determination of essential and toxic elements in Algerian plant Matricaria chamomilla L.

Abstract

The chamomile plant, Matricaria chamomilla L., is a well-known medicinal plant species that is widely utilized in folk and traditional medicine to provide sedative as well as spasmolytic effects. In the present study and for the first time in Algeria, we examined in particular the content of essential and toxic elements in the Algerian plant M. chamomilla L., by using two analytical techniques Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The findings from the two analytical techniques showed that there were twenty-one elements, comprising macro and microelements, including Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th, U, and Zn. The accuracy of these methods was verified and confirmed by analyzing three certified reference materials. This study demonstrated the abundance of mineral elements in M. chamomilla L. Additionally, the concentration of the toxic elements determined were within the Food and Agriculture Organization’s tolerance limits (FAO).