Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38166914›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2024

Microbial and heavy metal contamination in herbal medicine: a prospective study in the central region of Saudi Arabia.

Sarah F Alharbi, Ameerah I Althbah, Amal H Mohammed, Mishaal A Alrasheed, Mukhtar Ismail, Khaled S Allemailem, Abdullah M Alnuqaydan, Ahmed Mohammed Baabdullah, Azzam Alkhalifah

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
11.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Detection and characterization of pathogenic Bacillus haynesii from Tribulus terrestris extract: ways to reduce its levels.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sarah F AlharbiDepartment of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Ameerah I AlthbahDepartment of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Amal H MohammedDepartment of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Mishaal A AlrasheedDepartment of Laboratory and Blood Bank, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, 52211, Buraydah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mukhtar IsmailDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science and Arts, Qassim University, Al-Rass, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Khaled S AllemailemDepartment of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah M AlnuqaydanDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Mohammed BaabdullahDepartment of Dermatology, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Azzam AlkhalifahDepartment of Medicine, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. Az.alkhalifah@qu.edu.sa.
Qassim University · SAKing Abdulaziz University · SAKing Fahad Specialist Hospital · SA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHerbal medicine is a medical system based on the utilization of plants or plant extracts for therapy. The continual increase in global consumption and the trade of herbal medicine has raised safety concerns in many regions. These concerns are mainly linked to microbial contamination, which could spread infections with multi-resistant bacteria in the community, and heavy metal contamination that may lead to cancers or internal organs' toxicity.

methodsThis study was performed using an experimental design. A total of 47 samples, herbal medicine products sold in local stores in Qassim region, were used in the experiments. They were tested for bacterial contamination, alongside 32 samples for heavy metal analysis. Bacterial contamination was determined by the streak plate method and further processed to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns using MicroScan WalkAway96 pulse; heavy metals were determined using a spectrometer instrument.

resultsA total of 58 microorganisms were isolated. All samples were found to be contaminated with at least one organism except three samples. The majority of the isolated bacterial species were gram negative bacteria, such as Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and E. coli., which could be of fecal origin and may lead to pneumonia, skin, or internal infections. Furthermore, most of the gram-positive bacteria were found to be multi-drug resistant. Moreover, for heavy metals, all samples had levels exceeding the regulatory limits.

conclusionThis study demonstrated the presence of bacteria and heavy metals in samples of herbal medicines. Using these contaminated products may spread resistant infections, metal toxicities, or even cancers in the community.

Indexed as

Metals, HeavyNeoplasmsPlants, MedicinalBacteriaEscherichia coliHerbal MedicinePlant ExtractsProspective StudiesSaudi ArabiaMetals, HeavyPlant ExtractsComplementary and alternative medicineDrug safetyHeavy metalsHerbal medicineInfection riskMicrobial contaminationPlant extractPublic health practice

Identifiers

PMID38166914
PMCPMC10759756
OpenAlexW4390495286

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.