Vital trace elements in wild medicinal plants of natural ecotopes in the Voronezh region

The aim of the paper is an experimental study of the content of vital trace elements in wild medicinal plants of natural ecotopes in the Voronezh region. Materials and Methods. The following pharmacopoeial types of medicinal plants were used as research tragets: common knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare L.), herb; common nettle (Urtica dioica L.), leaves; smallleaved linden (Tilia cordata Mill.), flowers; great burdock (Arctium lappa L.), roots; common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg), roots; tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.), flowers; broadleaf plantain (Plantago major L.), leaves; common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), herb; five-bladed motherwort (Leonurus quinquelobatus Gilib.), herb; common yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), herb. Mass spectrometry was used to examine the trace element composition of samples after acid-microwave digestion. Results. Zinc should be considered as a vital trace element that is strongly accumulated from soils. The highest rates of its biological absorption are noted in roots and herbs. Copper is considered to be intensively accumulated by all types of medicinal plant raw material, except flowers. Molybdenum is actively accumulated by common nettle and broadleaf plantain (leaves), small-leaved linden (flowers), common yarrow and five-bladed motherwort (herb). High biological absorption of cobalt from soils is noted for common dandelion and great burdock (roots). Conclusion. The study results demonstrated a rich composition of trace elements in the studied medicinal plant raw materials. The results of the study can be used in medical and pharmaceutical practice to correct the physiological norms of microelement content in the human organism.