Abstract

Iron is an essential mineral nutrient for all living organisms, involved in a plurality of biological
processes. Its deficit is the cause of the most common form of anemia in the world: iron
deficiency anemia (IDA). This paper reviews iron content in various parts of 1228 plant species
and its absorption from herbal products, based on data collected from the literature in a semi-
systematic manner. Five hundred genera randomly selected from the Angiosperms group, 215
genera from the Pteridophytes groups and all 95 Gymnosperm genera as listed in the Plant List
version 1.1 were used as keywords together with the word “iron” in computerized searches.
Iron data about additional genera returned by those searches were extracted and included in
the analysis. In total, iron content values for a number of 1228 species, 5 subspecies, and 5
varieties were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare iron
contents in various plant parts (whole plant, roots, stems, shoots, leaves, aerial parts, flowers,
fruits, seeds, wood, bark, other parts) and exploratory analyses by taxonomic groups and life-
forms were carried out. The absorption and potential relevance of herbal iron for iron
supplementation are discussed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4690087/
 The Consequences of Too Much Iron in the Body
According to the World Health Organization, 30 percent of the world’s population suffers from
anemia, due to iron deficiency. However, too much intake of iron in the body requires much
attention.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that intake of iron up to 45 milligrams per day is safe. A
extreme overdose of iron happen when the amount of iron is 50 to 100 times more than the
suggested dietary dose. Such high levels of iron destroy cells in the gastrointestinal tract, causing
vomiting, bloody diarrhea and at times death.
According to The University of Maryland Medical Center that iron poisoning is the most popular
accidental poisoning in children. Because of the far-reaching side effects of having too much iron in
your body, you need to remember, always take dietary supplements only under the control of a
health-care provider.
Hemochromatosis is a genetic condition that causes absorbed of too much iron from food by your
body. The remaining iron is stored in organs such as the liver, heart and pancreas. Some, people
who supplement with too much iron over a long period of time are also likely to develop this
condition. The symptoms of hemochromatosis are skin discoloration, development of diabetes and
liver damage.
As stated of Linus Pauling Institute, there is a sensational increase in the risk of liver cancer due to
iron toxicity. It is mostly prevalent among individuals with genetic hemochromatosis. Although the
relationship between dietary iron and cancer risk among people without hemochromatosis is still
unsure, also Linus Pauling Institute reports that increased dietary iron intake is related to risk of
colorectal cancer. Moreover, increased iron in the colon exposes colonic cells to damaging reactive
oxygen species that may raise the risk of colon cancer. And also Linus Pauling Institute stated that
the effect of too much intake of iron may also lead to neurodegenerative disease.it involved in
cellular metabolism, but iron is necessary for normal functioning of brain and nerve. Linus Pauling
Institute explain that excess accumulation of iron result in high level oxidative stress. The brain is
especially sensitive to oxidative damage. Including damage contributes to neurodegenerative
diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

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