Trace elements analysis of Echinacea purpurea - herbal medicinal

Elemental composition of Echinacea purpurea (Asteracae), grown in Serbia under strongly controlled conditions, has been studied. To distinguish elemental patterns of different parts of the plant, the content of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ca, Mg, Sr, Ni, and Li in root versus upper plant parts were determined, by flame atomic absorption and flame atomic emission spectrometry. Analyses of the mentioned elements in soil and in an ethanolic extract of E. purpurea were made, too. The trace element data were evaluated by multivariate methods, i.e. principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. This revealed two groups of elements (I: Fe, Cu, Mn, Li; II: Ca, Mg, Zn, Ni), while trace element profiles of root. stem, leaves, and flowers of this plant differed significantly. However, no significant difference in the trace element patterns between the summer and the autumn harvest samples was found. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved