Detection of Lead From Samples of Ocimum Sanctum from Industrial Areas of Surat City-India

Abstract

The taxon Ocimum sanctum is selected because it has versatile role in traditional Indian medicine. Samples of plants (about 10) were collected from the areas where higher amount of heavy metal lead gets accumulated within the soil. After collection of fresh plants they were brought to the laboratory, washed thoroughly and leaves were analyzed for the absorption of lead by plants using AASM. It was surprising that a high amount of lead was found in Ocimum sanctum growing in industrial area. More than 10 samples were analyzed from each sampling station. The maximum lead was detected up to 0.3 mg/g and the minimum was 0.1 mg/g. Average lead content was reported to be 0.2 mg/g. Ocimum is very widely consumed by the people as common medicine for cold, cough, flu, diabetes, gastric disorders, malaria, arthritis and various skin diseases. Ocimum with high amount of lead (Pb) content leads to chronic health problems like hearing impairments, memory loss, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and cancer. Ocimum sanctums with accumulated lead antagonize their original purpose to cure disease when consumed.