Comparison of ICP OES and LIBS Analysis of Medicinal Herbs Rich in Flavonoids from Eastern Europe

Essential and toxic metals were determined in eighteen samples of medicinal herbs from Poland, Lithuania and Serbia by means of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Calcium, K and Mg concentrations were obtained in % (m/m) and other metals (Na, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cr and Pb) in mg kg-1. The fact that the herb samples analyzed belonged to specific plant species and represented different morphological plant parts explained the characteristic distribution in two-dimensional scores plots obtained by principal co...