Toxicological Evaluation of Linden Herbal Tea Element Levels

Abstract

Herbal products have been widely used all over the world for thousands of years. As interest in complementary and alternative therapy increases, consumption of herbal teas is also on the rise. However, frequent or massive use of these products, particularly in special populations, may result in toxicity due to potential exposure to some elements. A possible source of contamination in herbal products may be environmental pollution, reaching the plants through air, soil, and water. In addition, product processing steps can also present another source of metal contamination. Linden is among the most frequently consumed herbal teas to relieve colds and coughs, especially in winter. Since linden trees may be planted on the roadsides due to their beautiful appearance; element levels may be a concern in linden herbal tea samples. Heavy metals and other toxic elements may pose a health hazard to human and animal health; therefore, their levels in herbal substances must be under control within the regulatory framework. In this review, current articles on the element levels of linden herbal teas and the toxicology of these elements were evaluated. While based on the current findings it can be concluded that the probability of linden herbal teas exceeding the limits for Cd, Pb, and Hg appears to be low, the occurence of a few samples with higher than limit values necessitates further assessments.

Keywords

• Herbal tea
• Tilia sp. (linden)
• Toxic metals
• Trace elements
• Toxic effect

Ihlamur Çaylarının Element Düzeylerinin Toksikolojik Yönden Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Bitkisel ürünler, binlerce yıldır tüm dünyada yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Tamamlayıcı ve alternatif tedaviye ilgi artışı ile bağlantılı olarak, bitkisel çayların tüketimi de artmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, bu ürünlerin özellikle özel popülasyonlarda sık veya fazla miktarda kullanımı, bazı elementlere potansiyel maruziyet nedeniyle toksisiteye sebep olabilir. Bitkisel ürünlerde olası bir kontaminasyon kaynağı, hava, toprak ve su yoluyla bitkilere ulaşan çevre kirliliği olabilir. Ayrıca, ürün işleme basamakları da metal kontaminasyonu kaynağı haline gelebilir. Ihlamur özellikle kış aylarında, soğuk algınlığı ve öksürüğe karşı sıklıkla tüketilen bitkisel çaylardan biridir. Ihlamur ağaçları, oluşturdukları güzel görüntüden dolayı yol kenarlarına dikilebildiği için, ıhlamur bitki çayı örneklerinde element düzeyleri bir endişe kaynağı olabilir. Ağır metaller ve diğer toksik elementler insan ve hayvan sağlığı için tehlike oluşturabilmektedir; bu nedenle düzenleyici çerçevede ele alınması gerekir. Bu derlemede, ıhlamur bitki çaylarının element düzeyleri ve bu elementlerin toksikolojisi ile ilgili güncel makaleler değerlendirilmiştir. Mevcut bulgulara dayanarak, ıhlamur bitki çaylarının Cd, Pb ve Hg limitlerini aşma olasılığının düşük olduğu sonucuna varılmakla birlikte, sınır değerlerin aşıldığı örneklerin varlığı dikkate alındığında, daha kapsamlı değerlendirmeler gerektiği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

• Bitkisel çay
• Tilia sp. (ıhlamur)
• Toksik metaller
• Eser elementler
• Toksik etki

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