Mineral element profiles of Vernonia ambigua, Vernonia oocephala and Vernonia pupurea used in Northern Nigerian traditional medicine

Background: Vernonia species are widely consumed as vegetables or medicinal herbs for the treatment of various human diseases in Nigeria. Nevertheless, there exists a growing concern for consumption safety of those herbal plants, due to increasing environmental pollution. This is because plants can accumulate some heavy metals that constitute a potential risk to human health. Nonetheless, also essential elements may be accumulated in plants,...