TITLE:
Bredemeyera floribunda Wild Elemental Content and Comparison with Nutritional Recommendation for Adults: Medicinal Plant Used by the Brazilian Rural Population to Treat Fatigue and Exhaustion
AUTHORS:
Paula Fabiana Saldanha Tschinkel, Elaine Silva de Pádua Melo, Daniela Granja Arakaki, Valdir Aragão do Nascimento, Melina Ribeiro Fernandes, Nayara Vieira Lima, Luana Carolina Santos Leite, Hugo Santos Pereira, Kassia Roberta Nogueira da Silva, Francisco José Mendes dos Reis, Valter Aragão do Nascimento
KEYWORDS:
Macroelements, Microelements, Bredemeyera floribunda Wild, Pau-De-Ovo, ICP OES
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.11 No.3,
March
13,
2020
ABSTRACT: Bredemeyera
floribunda Wild (Polygalaceae), also known as pau-de-ovo is a
medicinal plant used to treat snakebites, as tonic and fortifiers to treat
fatigue and exhaustion. The aim of the present study was to document the
knowledge of herbal sellers in the preparation of the so-called “B. floribunda fortifier” and to compare
the plant root content with the recommended nutritional values and the permitted limit for medicinal plants. The study revealed that, unlike other
regions of Brazil, in the Midwest region, the root of the plant is used as food
to treat fatigue and exhaustion. The contents in B. floribunda root decreased in the following order: Ca > K >
P > Na > Fe > Mg > Si > Mn > Zn > Cu. Daily intake of 30
grams of B. floribunda roots are
considered as an excellent source of Cr, Cu, Mn and Se for people 19 to 50
years of age according to the RDA. In addition, Cu and Fe showed content above
the established limit for medicinal plants stipulated by other countries. The
root of the plant has low K, Mg, P, Na and Zn content. When the contents in
roots of the plant are below the oral
dose of reference, consumption of this plant can be considered safe and without
risk to human health. On the other hand, concentration of elements such as Cu,
Fe, Ni, Al, Cr and Se exceeding the allowable limit may cause serious health
problems due to prolonged ingestion and large amounts consumed daily. The Brazilian
legislation does not establish a permissible limit of macro- and micro-elements
in medicinal plants; thus, the results presented in this study
will contribute to the Brazilian public health policy on medicinal plants.