Mineral content of a moss tea for hypertension

Abstract

The content of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, nitrite and nitrate in the moss Rhodobryum ontariense and its tea was investigated for medicinal reason. The aim of this study was preliminary estimation of R. ontariense minerals' contribution to the treatment of hypertension, claimed for the moss tea by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Majority of cations were determined by EPA methods, while phosphorus was determined with an appropriate ISO method. The anions nitrite and nitrate were determined by ion chromatography. Potassium was the most abundant mineral in the investigated tea (5895.20 +/- 1.22 mg/kg) and might be speculated as one of its beneficial ingredients for the treatment of elevated blood pressure conditions.