Control de Calidad de las Plantas Medicinales de la Farmacia Natural del CAMEC

Abstract

Objectives. To evaluate the quality of twenty medicinal plants that are dispensed in the Natural Pharmacy of the CAMEC of the Hospital III Chimbote - Red Asistencial Ancash - EsSalud. Materials and methods. Analytical-descriptive research. Twenty medicinal plants were analyzed: Berberis vulgaris, Bixa orellana, Chuquiraga rotundifolia, Culcitium canescens, Desmodium mollicum, Equisetum arvense, Eupatorium triplinerve, Gentianella alborosea, Geranium ayavacense, Maytenus laevis, Melissa officinalis, Minthostachys setosa, Muehlenbeckia volcanica, Peumus boldus, Phyllanthus niruri, Senecio tephrosioides, Smallanthus sonchifolius, Tiquilia paranychioides, Uncaria tomentosa, Valeriana officinalis. The samples were selected at random (1 bag of 100 g) to which organoleptic analyses such as smell, taste, color, surface characteristics, and texture were carried out, as well as the physical-chemical analysis (phytochemical test). Likewise, it was carried out the aqueous extraction of each plant (infuse or decoct), according to the dose indicated to the patients. Mayer, Wagner, Dragendorff, Fehling, ferric trichloride, Shinoda, and foam tests were also carried out. Finally, total ashes, moisture content, and the determination of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) were analyzed by the atomic absorption spectrometry method. Results. Each of the twenty plants analyzed has the organoleptic characteristics of its species. In the qualitative phytochemical analysis, the highest presence of phenols was found. In the total ashes, two plants were found to exceed the limits allowed by the WHO (14%), Eupatorium triplinerve "asmachilca" with 22.027%, and Berberis vulgaris "agracejo" with 15.2843%. In humidity, the values obtained are within the limits allowed by the WHO (12%). In heavy metals, none of the samples showed concentrations higher than the limit value: lead (10 mg/kg), cadmium (0.3 mg/kg), proposed for medicinal herbs by the WHO. Conclusions. The medicinal plants dispensed in the Natural Pharmacy of CAMEC Chimbote comply with the quality parameters established by the WHO.