Recent data suggesting the essentiality of rubidium to man determined us to perform a large-scale investigation of medicinal plants with regard to rubidium content, and to evaluate the extraction ratio of this element onto herbal teas. The analysis of 56 species, carried out through Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), revealed an average Rb content of 17 mg/kg in medicinal plants. The highest Rb content was found in flowering aerial parts, with an average of 24.7 mg/kg, followed by leaves (19.6 mg/kg), roots (18.7 mg/kg), flowers (16.6 mg/kg) and fruits (6.1 mg/kg). Wild pansy (Viola tricolor) has a particular capacity to accumulate this element; other Rb-rich vegetal products were the herbs of Galium verum, Taraxacum officinale and Cichorium intybus. These species can be employed to insure an adequate Rb intake, covering between 14-20% of the recommended daily amount. The extraction ratio of Rb through decoction ranges between 15% - 94%, according to the investigated species; Rb stored in roots is best extractable. The present research presents the first analysis of Romanian plants with regard to their Rb content.

AbstractIod ist ein lebenswichtiges chemisches Element. Der Iodbedarf Erwachsener beträgt 1 μg/kg Körpergewicht, empfohlen wird die Aufnahme von 2 μg/kg Körpergewicht. Iodmangel führt zu verschiedenen Krankheitsbildern, von denen der so genannte “Kropf” das bekannteste ist. Doch nicht nur Iodmangel ist gefährlich: Bei einem Konsum von > 7 μg/kg können toxische Nebenwirkungen auftreten, die bei einem schnellen Übergang vom Iodmangel zu einer bedarfsbedingten Iodversorgung bei iodsensitiven Personen (häufig sind es ältere Frauen) zu einer Schilddrüsenüberfunktion führen.

El vanadio fue descubierto por el mineralogista espanol A. M. del Rio, en Mexico, en los anos de 1802/1803. La corteza terrestre de 16 km de espesor contiene 110 mg de vanadio por kg. A traves de los combustibles fosiles se difunden anualmente en el medio ambiente 110.000 toneladas de vanadio. Con ayuda de plantas indicadoras se puede determinar la oferta local de vanadio. El vanadio es esencial para varias especies de algas, hongos y bacterias fijadoras de nitrogeno. La apoenzima de la peroxidasa de bromo, yodo y cloro necesita el vanadio para la formacion de la holoenzima. La necesidad normativa de vanadio relativa al ser humano asciende a > 10 Eg/ dia y el de la fauna a 10 Eg/kg de la materia seca del forraje. Hay que distinguir entre los efectos farmacologicos, nutritivos y toxicos del vanadio. Son raras las intoxicaciones por el vanadio. El vanadio frena la ATP-asa de Na+ - K+ y abre los canales de potasio de la membrana de los eritrocitos. Los 10-20 mg/dia se consideran como valor limite del consumo de vanadio. Mayores dosis provocan trastornos gastrointestinales e implican con frecuencia tinciones verdes de las mucosas (por ejemplo, de la lengua), alteraciones hematologicas y concentraciones reducidas de la cisteina en los pelos y en las unas.

The aluminium content in wild mushrooms ( n = 271, 19 species) and in cultivated Agaricus bisporus ( n = 15) was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. With an aluminium content of 30 – 50 μ/g dry matter (DM) Boletus and Xerocomus species, the most well-known and most popular mushrooms, proved to be poor in aluminium. Several species of the genus Suillus , Macrolepiota rhacodes , Hypholoma capnoides as well as individual samples of Russula ochroleuca and Amanita rubescens contained high aluminium concentrations of about 100 μg/g DM and more. Cultivated Agaricus bisporus had the lowest aluminium content, i. e. 14 μg/g DM. The site, its geological origin as well as the mushroom species influenced the aluminium content in the fruitbodies: these factors require further investigation. Mushrooms do not contribute significantly to aluminium intake by humans.

The Cd emission of a phosphate plant was clearly reflected by the Cd status of herbivorous European wood mice and common field voles as well as of European shrews taking in mostly animal food. The antagonistic effect of the emitted Cd and Mo better available for plants with high ground pH most probably caused the deterioration in the Cu status of the animals of both phases in the nutritional chain. The lower Ca, P, and Mg incorporation with European wood mouse and common field vole within the contaminated habitat might as well be owing to emission, whereas the lower Mn content in all three species rather has to be attributed to the lower Mn offer caused by the ground pH.