Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Heavy Metal Content in Bitter Leaf
(
Vernonia amygdalina
) Grown Along
Heavy Traffic Routes in Port Harcourt
Ogbonda G. Echem and L. G. Kabari
Additional information is available at the end of the chapter
http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/55604
1. Introduction
The herb known as bitter leaf
(Vernonia amygdalina)
is a shrub or small tree that can reach 23
feet in height when fully grown. Bitter leaf has a grey or brown coloured bark, which has a
rough texture and is flaked. The herb is an indigenous African plant; which grows in most
parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The East African country of Tanzania is traditionally linked to
this plant and can be found growing wild along the edges of agricultural fields. It is a
medicinal plant and fresh bitter leaf is of great importance in human diet because of the
presence of vitamins and mineral salts (Sobukola et al., 2007).
It is a very important protective food and useful for the maintenance of health and
prevention and treatment of various diseases. Some principal chemical constituents found in
bitter leaf herb are a class of compounds called steroid glycosides- type vernonioside B1 -
these chemical substances possess a potent anti-parasitic, anti-tumour, and bactericidal
effect. The bitter leaf is mainly employed as an agent in treating schistsomiasis, which is a
disease caused by parasitic worms. It is also useful in the treatment of diarrhoea and general
physical malaise.
Remedies made from bitter leaf are used in treating 25 common ailments in sub- Saharan
African, these include common problems such as fever, and different kinds of intestine
complaints, as well as parasite-induced diseases like malaria. Bitter leaf also helps to cleanse
such vital organs of the body like the liver and the kidney. Bitter leaf is also used in the
treatment of skin infections such as ringworm, rashes and eczema. However, bitter leaf and
other vegetables contain both essential and toxic metals over a wide range of concentrations
(Radwan and Salama, 2006).
