The use of herbal medicines for treatment of different disease conditions has been is as old as human existence .These herbal products / synthetic drugs contain chemical substances which are considered as beneficial while others were not. Herbal products and synthetic drugs are consumed extensively in Ebonyi State for their medicinal properties. This study was undertaken to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals in selected traditional herbal preparation and synthetic drugs consumed in Abakaliki Ebonyi State. A total of 11 samples were used for the study : seven herbal preparations and 4 synthetic drugs . They include: Healing bitters, orak herbal formula, Goko cleanser,Clara ULC, pro-life herbal remedy, golden seed , Deep root herbal mixtures, relcer gel, Reprofen suspension, ampiclox, and P-alaxin, . The drugs and herbal mixtures were purchased from the local Abakpa market in Abakaliki Ebonyi State Nigeria .They were analyzed for their, lead, copper, iron, manganese, potassium, chromium, Nikel , zinc calcium, mercury ,manganese, contents. Microwave-assisted digestion were used for the dissolution of the samples and heavy metals concentration was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Metals were found to be present in varied concentrations in the herb and synthetic drug samples. The concentration ranges were found as follows: 0.03-12.35 µg/g for essential metals and 0.12-3 µg/g for toxic metals respectively for both herbal preparation and synthetic drugs .The gross level of contamination of lead, mercury, and chromium metals could be attributed to poor adherence to good manufacturing practice and effective surveillance . Hence, this work suggest immediate action by relevant authorities in order to avert impeding health hazards from gradual accumulation of these toxic metals in the body system of consumers of these herbal preparations and modern drugs , to ensure safety of these medicines in Ebonyi State Nigeria.
Key words :Drugs, heavy metals, disease, herb, and hazards.