Study of regional variation of trace elements in Cascabela thevetia medicinal plant using PIXE

Cascabela Thevetia medicinal plant, known to possess anti-cancer properties, was probed for its elemental content with a proton beam of 3 MeV energy. The present Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) investigation was performed using the 3 MV Pelletron accelerator of the tandem type available at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India. The purpose of this study was to identify and thereby quantify the levels of elements present in the bark of Cascabela Thevetia medicinal plant, collected from four environmentally different locations, and study their variation with respect to the geographical region. An attempt was also made to correlate the occurrence of elements in this medicinal plant to its pharmacological action and ascertain its efficacy in the treatment of cancer. The outcome of this study underlines the need for exercising precaution in prescribing safe and effective doses and deciding the appropriate duration for which herbal medicines can be prescribed to cancer patients based on their regional variation. (author)