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Worldwide, medicinal plants and herbal medicines are widely consumed. The aim of this study was to determine macro- (Ca, K, Mg, Na, and P) and microelements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, V, and Zn) in medicinal plants and herbal medicines: “globe artichoke” - Cynara scolymus L., “devil’s claw” - Harpagophytum procumbens D.C., and “espinheira santa” - Maytenus ilifolia (Mart) ex Reiss. Concentrations of 24 (essential and toxic potentially) elements in samples from Brazil were determined using a sequential optical emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) after acid digestion, assisted by microwave radiation. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to carry out an exploratory analysis of samples. The elements were quantified (in μg/g): Al (20.24–1261.64), Ba (18.90–63.18), Ca (2877.6–19,957.40), Cr (0.28–1.38), Cu (4.16–21.99), Fe (8.54–627.49), K (1786.12–32,297.19), Mg (505.82–6174.52), Mn (0.40–205.64), Na (1717.23–18,596.45), Ni (< LoQ–0.99), P (35.12–2899.91), Se (1.52–3.71), Sn (1.53–12.43), Sr (52.33–84.31), V (< LoQ–0.24), and Zn (2.60–30.56). As, Cd, Co, Mo, Pb, and Sb, in all the investigated samples, were found to be below the limit of detection (LoD) and quantification (LoQ) values of ICP OES. These medicinal plants and herbal medicines can be sources of Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, and Zn. All samples showed considerable levels of Al. PCA and HCA showed that the samples separated into two large groups.

An acid digestion procedure of the forage palm (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill and Nopalea cochenilifera) employing a closed digestor block applied full 24 factorial design was optimized. The optimal conditions were HNO3 5.0 mol L−1, 2.0 mL of H2O2 30% m m−1, 120 min of digestion, and heating temperature of 180 °C. The certified reference materials of apple leaves (NIST 1515) and tomato leaves (Agro C1003a) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the analytical method. The concentrations of the macroelements were (in % m m−1) Ca (1.32–3.71), K (0.88–5.29), Mg (0.70–1.78), and P (0.03–0.32). For the microelements, the concentrations (in μg g−1) obtained were As (

Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides is a species of stingless bee popularly known in Brazil as "mandacaia". Products derived from bees for food and therapeutic uses, have stimulated the evaluation of the chemical composition of geopropolis. Concentrations of 24 essential and potentially toxic elements were determined in geopropolis samples, using a sequential optical emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma (ICP OES) after microwave-assisted acid digestion. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to carry out an exploratory analysis of the samples. The following elements were quantified (in mg Kg-1): Al (320,414.40-36,911.1), As (