• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.67-82
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• 2002

Objectives: In recent years, extensive focus has been laid on adulteration of herbal medicine with heavy metals. This may be mainly due to soil contamination by environmental pollution. The objective of this study is to identify the contents of various heavy metals in the blood from Ohjeok-san (Wuji-san) Decoction (OD) treated-rats. Methods: For this study, 13 kinds of metals including essential and heavy metals, i.e. A1, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn were analyzed by a slight modification of EP A methods and the following results are obtained. Results: 1. There was no significant difference between the OD-treated groups and control group in liver, kidney, bone, brain and weight, especially no significant difference at the 5th and 10th days in weight and the amount of food intake. 2. The amount of each metal analyzed in the blood were as follows; A1: 2.3~3.07 mg/l, As: 2.90~3.66 mg/l, Cd: 0~0.001 mg/l, Co: 0~0.01 mg/l, Cr: 0.40~043 mg/l, Cu: 0.93~1.88 mg/l, Fe: 414.35~464.46 mg/l, Hg: 0.01 mg/l, Mn: 0.10~0.17 mg/l, Ni: 0.01 mg/l, Pb: 0.03~012 mg/l, Se: 0.73 mg/l, Zn: 3.41~4.13 mg/l by groups, respectively. In control and experimental group, Experimental I and other experimental II, III, IV, and V groups, there were no significant differences. 3. The amount of non-toxic metals (A1, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn) were $64.1{\pm}7.71{\;}mg/l$ in the control group and 60.70~67.58 mg/l in the experimental groups I, II, III, IV and V. The amount of Toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Ag, Pb) were $0.68{\pm}0.21{\;}mg/l$ in the control group and 0.57 ~ 0.66mg/l in the experimental groups. The total amount of metals were 32.35 mg/l in the control group and 30.48~34.12 mg/l in the test groups I, II, III, IV and V, respectively. Conclusions: There was no significant difference of metal concentration in the blood from the OD-treated-rats compared to those of the control group even if higher dosage (1~8 times the dosage for a person) of OD was administered. This may be mainly due to a decoction treatment which contains only supernatants filtered from the herb-mass after boiling. This indicates the legal limitation for metal concentration in herbal medicine must be applied according to different treatment methods of herbal medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.66-85
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• 2002

Traditional herbal medicine is used extensively among the Korean populations, and other Asian countries employ similar therapies as well In recent years, extensive focus was laid on adulteration of the herbal medicine with heavy metals. This may be mainly due to a soil contamination by an environmental pollution. The objective of this study is to identify the contents of various heavy metals in the blood from OhJeokSan-Decoction (OD) treated-rats. For this study, 13 kinds of metals including essential and heavy metals, i.e. Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn were analyzed by a slight modification of EPA methods and the following results are obtained. ; 1. There is no significant difference between the OD-treated groups and control group in liver, kidney, bone, brain, weight, food intake. 2. The amount of each metal analyzed in the liver are as follows; Al ; $0.235{\sim}4.215mg／kg$, As ; $0.103{\sim}0.461mg／kg$, Cd ; $0.005{\sim}0.010mg／kg$, Co ; $0.017{\sim}0.046mg／kg$, Cr ; $0.137{\sim}0.403mg／kg$, Cu ; $1.736{\sim}4.827mg／kg$, Fe ; $54.472{\sim}381.447mg／kg$, Hg ; not detected, Mn ; $1.159{\sim}2.803mg／kg$, Ni ; $0.007{\sim}0.095mg／kg$, Pb ; not detected, Se ; $0.682{\sim}1.887mg／kg$, Zn ; $10.213{\sim}26.119mg／kg$, by groups, respectively. In control and other experimental group, several metal (Co, Cu, Mn, Zn, As, Cr) has a significant difference, but in experimental I and other experimental II, III, IV, V groups, there are no significant difference. 3. The amount of each metal analyzed in the kidney are as follows; Al ; $1.712{\sim}31.230mg／kg$, As ; $0.062{\sim}0.439mg／kg$, Cd ; $0.010{\sim}0.062mg／kg$, Co ; $0.000{\sim}0.101mg／kg$, Cr ; $0.125{\sim}0.636mg／kg$, Cu ; $3.385{\sim}12.502mg／kg$, Fe ; $41.148{\sim}99.709mg／kg$, Hg ; $0.000{\sim}0.270mg／kg$, Mn ; $0.433{\sim}2.301mg／kg$, Ni ; $0.000{\sim}0.221mg／kg$, Pb ; $0.000{\sim}0.584mg／kg$, Se ; $0.540{\sim}1.600mg／kg$, Zn ; $8.775{\sim}17.060mg／kg$, by groups, respectively. The concentration of Cu, Se, Cr, and Hg are variated significantly in control and other experimental group, and Cu, Se, Cd, Cr are variated significantly in experimental I and other experimental II, III, IV, V groups. 4. The amount of each metal analyzed in the bone(tibia and fibula) are as follows; Al ; $9.557{\sim}119.464mg／kg$, As ; $0.139{\sim}12.250mg／kg$, Cd ; $0.000{\sim}0.295mg／kg$, Co ; $0.022{\sim}0.243mg／kg$, Cr ; $0.239{\sim}1.999mg／kg$, Cu ; $0.000{\sim}2.291mg／kg$, Fe ; $240.249{\sim}841.956mg／kg$, Hg ; $0.000{\sim}0.983mg／kg$, Mn ; $0.214{\sim}7.353mg／kg$, Ni ; $5.473{\sim}11.453mg／kg$, Pb ; $0.000{\sim}8.502mg／kg$, Se ; $0.000{\sim}3.005mg／kg$, Zn ; $61.158{\sim}195.038mg／kg$, by groups, respectively. The concentration of Se, Cd are variated significantly in control and other experimental groups, and Se is variated significantly in experimental I and other experimental II, III, IV, V groups. 5. Exceptionally several metal concentration is increased or decreased. but there is no significant harmful difference of metal concentration in the liver, kidney and bone, from the OD-treated-rats compared to those of the control group even if higher dosage($1{\sim}8$ times dosage of person) of OD was administered. Thus, it is expected that the herbal decoction in the traditional herbal medicine would not lay any burden on the body and the heavy metal toxins would not affect our physiological system. However, other kinds of herbal treatment, such as i.v. and i.p. should be considered in terms of metal toxicity in the body since the level of certain metal.