Elemental composition of Cyrtanthus obliquus and Lippia javanica used in South African herbal tonic, Imbiza

The levels of selected elements in L. javanica leaves collected from ten different locations around the KwaZulu-Natal province were also investigated. The levels of the elements were found to be in the decreasing order of Ca > Mg > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Se > Cr > Pb > Co > Cd for total concentrations and Ca > Mg > Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb for water extractable forms. It was evident from the study that the herbal tonic was a good source of Ca and Mg, thus accredited as a viable immune booster and toxic metals were below the recommended levels in the investigated samples.