Inorganic elements found in the tuber of Radix Pseudostellariae from Guizhou Province

Abstract

By analyzing the inorganic elements in radix pseudostellariae from Guizhou, our goal is to evaluate its quality, establish heavy metal limits, create an element fingerprint, and identify characteristic elements. We measured the inorganic elements using ICP-MS, evaluated heavy metals according to WM/T₂-2004 standards, and used principal component analysis to identify key elements. Results showed inorganic element content ranged from 0.057 to 959 mg/kg, with coefficients of variation from 0.134 to 1.478. Levels of Cd, As, Pb, and Hg were below WM/T₂-2004 standards in 90% of the samples. The proposed heavy metal limits are Cr ≤ 6.5 mg/kg, Cu ≤ 10 mg/kg, As ≤ 2.0 mg/kg, Cd ≤ 0.3 mg/kg, Hg ≤ 0.15 mg/kg, and Pb ≤ 4.0 mg/kg. The element fingerprint provides a basis for assessing radix pseudostellariae quality and differentiating it from other Chinese herbs. Characteristic inorganic elements identified include Cd, Cu, Co, Zn, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Al. The study found radix pseudostellariae from Guizhou to have a rich inorganic profile, with heavy metal content meeting evaluation criteria, and established both limits and an element fingerprint.