Metal Content in Valeriana officinalis L. Root Commercialized in a Spanish Region (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Abstract

One of the most popular food supplements among the Canary population for the treatment of insomnia and mild anxiety is Valeriana officinalis L. (valerian), whose organ of use is the root. However, this plant is susceptible to the accumulation of certain metals, and a daily multi-dose treatment may be a dosage indication/regimen as multidose therapy. Therefore, there is an interest in determining its content of metals (Cd, Pb, Al, Cr, Cu, Li, Ni, Sr, Mo, Zn, Co, Fe, B, Mn, V, Ba, K, Na, Mg, Ca) to establish the possible toxicological risk of its consumption. The concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in a total of 23 samples (8 fragmented, 7 crushed, 8 pulverized). The Cd limit set by the European Pharmacopoeia (0.1 mg/kg) is more than doubled in six samples. The results showed that Pinisan (0.11 mg/kg), the EnRelax (R) pill (0.12 mg/kg), the EnRelax (R) infuser (0.13 mg/kg), Kneipp (0.15 mg/kg), Milvus (0.16 mg/kg) and one of the market samples (0.23 mg/kg) all exceed this parameter. However, the use of valerian root as a herbal plant or food supplement at therapeutic doses and in all studied dosages does not pose a toxicological risk based on the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of metals.