Studies on the medical safety of botanical medicines: Novel toxic metals and microbial contamination approach.
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The utilization of herbal therapies is increasing globally, prompting investigations into the health complications that may arise from drug side effects. A total of 160 herbal medicines (HMs), were used for this study, and their toxic heavy metal content, microbial load and dielectric properties were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that the crude HMs exhibited a greater proportion of heavy metals, microorganisms and a higher dielectric constant (ɛ') value, in comparison to the refined HMs. Particularly, the powdered HMs contained high heavy metals and microbial contaminations. For the unrefined powders, HM samples exceeded the safety limits of cfu/g ≤ 105, approved by World Health Organization for herbal medications. Regarding the electrical properties, the ɛ' for the crude unrefined HMs ranged from 9.19 to 92.67; while the refined HMs ɛ' values varied from 7.35 to 39.15. The hazard index (HI) analysis showed that unrefined HMs have higher non-carcinogenic toxicity than refined ones, with children facing serious health risks as their HI values surpass 1. Crude heavy metal consumption increases a child's risk of developing cancer. This research's findings highlighted the importance of consistent monitoring of herbal products, as heavy metals can accumulate, resulting in toxicity after prolonged use of these drugs.