Annals of Plant Sciences 7.9 (2018) pp. 2418-2422 * Corresponding Author: Dr. Kamatchi Kala B., Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu 627802, India. E-mail: akshikala@gmail.com http://dx.doi.org/10.21746/aps.2018.7.9.3 Page | 2418 Research Article A comparative study on elemental composition in some wild and cultivated medicinal plants Kamatchi Kala B.* & R. Vigneswari Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu 627802, India. Received: 07-04-2018; Revised: 12-06-2018; Accepted: 23-07-2018 Abstract: An evaluation of elemental composition in medicinal plant is important because mineral contents may be the source of a pharmacological effect. Four elements (Na, K, Mg and Zn) were analysed in wild and cultivated medicinal plants such as Andrographis paniculata, Vitex negundo and Solanum surattense. The present study revealed the presence of minerals such as Na, K, Mg and Zn in all the studied medicinal plants grown in both wild and domestic condition. The presence of those elements indicates the medicinal value of the studied plants. The results show that the cultivated medicinal plants contain more concentration of all the four investigated elements when compared to medicinal plants collected from wild area. Keywords: Andrographis paniculata, Vitex negundo, Solanum surattense, minerals. Introduction The dependence on indigenous medicinal plants for treatment is particularly observed in developing countries where modern medicine is often too expensive therefore out of reach of the majority of the population (Carillon, 2009). Medicinal value of the plant is due to presence of a variety of phytochemical and elemental composition. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the phytoconstituents, elements and vitamin supplements present in the medicinal plant to assess their medicinal values. Determination of mineral elements in herbal infusions is important to judge their nutritional value and to prevent any probable ill-effects (Karak and Bhagat, 2010). Traditional Indian medical herbs used for strengthening the body immune system are known to have many essential and nutritional elements. Their excess or deficiency may disturb normal biochemical functions of the body (lyengar, 1989). Most studies on such medicinal plants pertain to their organic contents, viz. essential oils, glycosides, vitamins, alkaloids and other active components and their pharmacological/therapeutic effects. Besides several organic compounds, it is now well established that many trace elements play a vital role in general well-being as well as in the cure of diseases (Underwood, 1997). Hence, Estimation of the element composition of herbal medicines is essential for understanding their health effects and nutritive. The quality of medicinal plants is due by the geochemical features of the soil, the capacity of plants to accumulate nutrients, environmental pollution and fertilization (Queralt et al., 2005). Subramanian et al, 2012 studied sodium (Na), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) content in some medicinal plants regularly used in cooking in Indian and showed that the mineral and metal contents in the samples were found at different levels. A total of nine elements (Zn, Cu, Fe, Cr, Ca, K, Li, Mg and Na) were determined in the Urtica diocia, Taraxacum officinale, Robinia pseudoacacia and Matricaria recutita. All the elements were accumulated to greated to lower extent by all four plants species studied Gjorgieva, et al., 2011). Agarwal, et al., 2014 investigated the element (major and trace) present in the leaves by inductive coupled plasma mass spectroscopy against salt standard and showed that the leaves of Andrographis paniculata in wild and cultivated form are rich in chemical constituents. Elemental analysis of Andrographis paniculata leaves has shown that the plant is a rich source of K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, and Na which can play vital roles in health and treatment of diseases. There is little variation in concentration in both cultivated and wild forms. In India, around 20, 000 medicinal plants have been recorded recently. 500 traditional communities cure the different disease (Chin et al., 2010). Andrographis paniculata is a one of the wonderful medicinal plant, commonly known as “king of bitters”. The leaves and stems of the plant are used to extract the active phytochemicals. The extract of the plants contains diterpenes, flavonoids and stigma sterols (Siripong et al., 1992). The whole plant of the Andrographis paniculata has medicinal valuable compounds.