Phyto-metals screening of selected anti-diabetic herbs and infused concoctions

Objective: To determine the levels of some selected heavy metals in both the selected anti-diabetic herbal plants and infused concoctions for diabetes treatment. Methods: Ten anti-diabetic plant samples: pawpaw leaves (Carica papaya), bitter melon leaves (Momordica charantia), holy basil leaves (Ocimum sanctum), bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), garlic (Allium sativum), African red pepper fruits (Capsicum frutescens), negro pepper grain (Xylopia aethiopica), cashew leaves (Anacardium occidentale) and onion bulb (Allium cepa) were evaluated for heavy metals. These were digested using standard methods and analyzed for manganese, copper, nickel, chromium, zinc, cadmium and lead using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The infused concoctions (I and II) prepared from these medicinal herbs administered to diabetic patients were also analyzed for these heavy metals. Concoction I contained all the plants and honey with the exception of Momordica charantia and Ocimum sanctum which constituted concoction II with water only. The data obtained were subject to descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (ANOVA and DMRT) statistics. Results: Chromium and nickel levels were below detection limits in concoction I while manganese [(0.11 ± 0.01) μg/g] and zinc [(0.09 ± 0.01) μg/g] were detected in concoction II. Honey contained manganese [(0.10 ± 0.01) μg/g] and nickel [(0.70 ± 0.01) μg/g]. The anti-diabetic medicinal herbs and infused concoctions (I and II) were observed to contain heavy metals below the compared limits. Conclusions: The study thus shows that the herbs and concoctions are safe from the heavy metals considered. However, right dosage of the anti-diabetic concoctions should always be considered to prevent possible chronic side effects from bio-accumulation of heavy metals

Evaluation of physico-mechanical characteristics of cashew nut shell liquid-epoxy composites with Borassus and Tamarind fruit fibres as reinforcements

In this study, Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL)-epoxy matrix-based composites reinforced with borassus and tamarind fibres were fabricated using compression moulding technique. Three different types of composites were fabricated, namely Borassus fruit fine fibre/CNSL-epoxy composites (BF composites), Tamarind fibre/CNSL-epoxy composites (TF composites) and Tamarind/Borassus fruit fine fibre CNSL-epoxy hybrid composites (HB composites). In addition, CNSL-epoxy neat polymer was also fabricated for comparison. Physical properties such as micro-hardness, void percentage, and mechanical properties like tensile, flexural, Interlaminar Shear Strength (ILSS), and impact strength were investigated. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to study the failure mechanism of the composites. Experimental results indicate that tensile and flexural properties of BF composites were higher when compared to TF and HB composites. Micro-hardness and impact strength of HB composites were better than the others. SEM images indicated better fibre-matrix bonding in BF composites indicating improved resistance to delamination. Thus, borassus and tamarind fibre reinforced CNSL-epoxy composites can be used as an alternative material for light to moderately loaded structural engineering applications